SAVANNAH, GEORGIA  – Repairs to the Thurmond Dam gates will not require the lake water level to be reduced as much during the summer months as originally calculated, according to safety and maintenance managers with Savannah District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.  

Vital repairs to the Thurmond Dam gates are scheduled to begin in December and proceed for the next 24 months or more. This work requires the Corps to keep the Thurmond and Russell reservoirs below summer guide curve to ensure worker safety. When the water level calculations for the repair work were first made, the Corps determined that Thurmond could reach no higher than 326 ft above mean sea level (ft-msl). After further assessments by the Corps managers, the revised goal is to raise the level to 328 ft-msl during the summer months.    

“This level will keep the workers safe—our primary concern,” said Col. Edward Kertis, commander of the Savannah District. “Our calculations may be adjusted as the work progresses based on additional safety concerns or hydrologic conditions.” 

Rains in the past few months, and especially in November when remnants of Tropical Storm Ida passed through the area, filled the reservoirs above the summer guide curve, commonly called “full pool.” Over the next few weeks, the Corps will discharge enough water from Thurmond Dam to bring that reservoir to its winter guide curve—as much as four feet below summer level (down to winter “full pool”).

This step aids the Corps’ ability to mitigate downstream flooding now and into the spring. If the reservoirs remain at higher levels (summer guide curve), the Corps faces having to discharge tremendous amounts of water in a wet spring. This could cause potentially life-threatening flooding downstream. Flood risk reduction is the primary purpose of the dams.