SHORELINES

13 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :1 Alabama Power manages the rivers and streams that pass through its 14 dams and 11 lakes, stretching across the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers. Managing these flows is challenging and complex. The floods in December are a recent example of Alabama Power's flood control systems in operation. The rains spread over 10 days from Dec. 21-30, with heavier downpours during Dec. 21-26 serving as the driving force of the event. Many of Alabama Power's storage reservoirs increased to well above summer pool levels and into the flood easements. Smith Lake was rising 1 foot per hour during the peak flow period, which occurred about 6 p.m. on Christmas Day. The maximum volume of water stored in the flood pools (that is, winter pool to maximum elevation reached during a flood event) of Smith, Weiss, Logan Martin, Harris and Martin totaled about 50 billion cubic feet, equivalent to about 400 billion gallons. That amount would cover all of Alabama's 52,419 square miles with about ½ inch of water. It would fill: • the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt 19,000 times • the Empire State Building in New York City 1,500 times • the Georgia Dome in Atlanta 680 times • AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, 500 times. "To put the amount of water released in perspective, maximum releases during the event from the Coosa and Tallapoosa were 2.5 times the annual average flow at Niagara Falls and very near the annual peak flow at Niagara Falls. This volume of water would be enough to completely fill the Georgia Dome in about six minutes or the AT&T stadium in Arlington in about nine minutes," says Alan Peeples, Alabama Power's reservoir management manager. Opposite: Photo by Ber na r d Tronc a le – The sun sets over Lake Harris, one of Alabama Power's flood control reservoirs. Above: Photo by Ber na r d Tronc a le – Water flows below Yates Dam.

• Cover