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Nature Conservancy, US Army Corps of Engineers Partner to Improve Water Management on the Savannah River, as Well as Rivers Throughout the Country

Controlled Water Release on Savannah River Is First Step in National Sustainable Rivers Project

Atlanta, GA—March 30, 2004—The waters of the Savannah River will flow at a higher level the week of March 15 as the US Army Corps of Engineers, the nation’s largest manager of the nation’s waterways, and The Nature Conservancy initiate an effort to improve dam management across the country. 

Under a partnership called the Sustainable Rivers Project, The Nature Conservancy and the Army Corps of Engineers are working together to improve dam management to better protect the natural splendor and health of America’s rivers, while still providing services such as flood control and power generation.

“The controlled water release in the Savannah River this week will serve as a model for the national Sustainable Rivers Project,” said Brian Richter, director of the Sustainable Waters Program for The Nature Conservancy.  “This project will help to offer solutions for operating dams, not just on the Savannah River but all over the country, for human use while protecting the health of our rivers.  Dams and water withdrawal systems have provided many benefits to humans but have also damaged freshwater habitat. With this controlled water release, we hope to set the stage for changing the ways dams are managed so as to more closely imitate the natural flow of the river and restore its health.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers raised the gates to the New Savannah Bluff and Dam to mimic the natural spring flow patterns of  the river. © Don Hatcher

“Our partnership—our common interest is in achieving environmental sustainability,” Colonel Roger A. Gerber, the Corps’ District Engineer in Savannah, said.  “The Corps benefits from The Nature Conservancy’s network of conservation partnerships, biological expertise, community presence and basis in sound science and collaborative approaches to resolving natural resource management issues.  The Nature Conservancy can benefit from the Corps’ multi-disciplinary staff and experience with water resources projects, especially now that environmental restoration and protection have taken on increasing importance as mission areas.”

The first controlled water release, scheduled to start on March 15 and lasting three to five days, has been designed to mimic natural, seasonal flow patterns to allow the Savannah River to function closer to its original flow regime, as before the dams were constructed.  The pulse was designed by scientists as part of the Corps’ Savannah River Basin Comprehensive Water Management Study, which is looking for solutions to balance all water needs of the basin.  Developed with the input of leading scientists, the flow prescription calls for the release of 16,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water from the Thurmond Dam, instead of the current 4,500 cfs. Prior to the construction of the dam, the average flow was 18,000 cfs.

The Conservancy has been working with partners to monitor ecological effects of the controlled water release on the Savannah River, floodplain and estuary. Prior to the release, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tagged various species of fish.  Monitoring stations have been set up at the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam to survey the passage of the tagged fish through the dam following the controlled water releases.

The construction of dams on the Savannah River has altered the natural flow patterns, thereby altering key habitats for various fish and mussel species, as well as birds, other animals and plants that rely on the river. Scientists anticipate the higher flow levels will create an environment whereby certain species of fish are able to swim upriver to spawn, as they naturally would during the spring season.

“The conservation implications of this project are huge,” said Amanda Wrona, Savannah River project manager for The Nature Conservancy. “We know the dams are essential to fulfilling the human needs of Georgians and South Carolinians, along with residents of other southeastern states.  This project will help maintain that human component while addressing and reversing the growing environmental impacts to the river.” 

Dividing the states of South Carolina and Georgia, the Savannah River supports natural communities such as shoals, floodplain forests and estuaries, as well as numerous rare and endangered species, including the endangered robust redhorse, which was thought to be extinct at one time.

The Sustainable Rivers Project involves coordinated review and modification of operations at Corps operated dams across the country. The project currently includes 14 dams on 10 rivers across 11 states.  In the future, other dams will be added to the Sustainable Rivers Project. Initiated in the summer of 2002, this nationwide water management study is an outgrowth of collaborative work between the Corps and the Conservancy to restore natural flows on the Green River in Kentucky, now a demonstration site for the Sustainable Rivers Project. For more information about the Sustainable Rivers Project, visit http://nature.org/success/dams.html.