SHORELINES

15 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :1 From Alabama Power's inception, hydro generation has been an integral part of how the company serves its customers. Not only was it the beginning of Alabama Power, but it was the beginning of electricity in the state. Since Lay Dam began operating on April 12, 1914, the story of hydro generation has benefited Alabama beyond providing electrical service, including flood control, recreational and economic opportunity, irrigation and drinking water, and fish and wildlife habitats. Hydro generation is one of the ways Alabama Power provides clean, safe, reliable, affordable energy for customers and communities both near the lake and across Alabama. It is the lowest-cost energy source available on the system; harnessing the power of falling water is a self-reliant process that doesn't depend on other systems or fuel infrastructure. In a state with more than 77,000 miles of rivers and streams and 500,000 acres of standing water, dams play a complex role that impacts economic development, quality of life and conservation statewide. help them to reach normal summer pool levels during the late spring. Smith, Weiss, Neely Henry, Logan Martin, Harris and Martin are all storage lakes. As part of flood control, Alabama Power maintains the right to manage water above normal rule curve levels during flooding. Most flood control reservoirs have a control point that is used as a focus for the flood control operations; for example, Neely Henry uses Gadsden, Harris uses Wadley and Smith uses Cordova. Run-of-the-river lakes pass the flows coming into them directly downstream and do not have flood control capacity. Lay, Mitchell, Jordan, Bouldin, Yates and Thurlow have levels that vary little throughout the year. "Not every flood can be completely controlled. Each project has a particular amount that it can store," Peeples says. DROUGHT MITIGATION In times of less rainfall or when there are drought conditions, Alabama Power balances the needs of lake and river stakeholders in affected watersheds. Engineers model potential short- and long-term impacts to the reservoirs based on seasonal climate and rainfall predictions. If predictions and modeling suggest that drought impacts could cause the lake not to reach summer pool, the company, with approval of state and federal agencies, can take measures such as reducing downstream minimum flow requirements to help minimize the impacts to the lakes and other resources. Catch a 360 video from Logan Martin Dam and learn more about hydro generation at www.apcshorelines.com. Above: Photo by Ber na r d Tronc a le – Thurlow Dam is one of Alabama Power's four dams on the Tallapoosa River.

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