Hartwell Dam Spillway to be Opened Wednesday

Photo by MJ Kneiser

Photo by MJ Kneiser

If you have never seen the Hartwell Dam spillway gates open you will have a chance to do so Wednesday.

The U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers will test spillway gates at its three dams on the Upper Savannah River Wednesday and Thursday.

Corps Of Engineers spokesperson Tracy Robillard said during the tests the spillway gates will be opened to give safety experts the opportunity to evaluate their readiness.

Specifically at Hartwell Dam, we have 12 spillway gates there,” said Robillard. “We will have safety officials and they will open the gates about one to two feet and just evaluate (the gates) and check their readiness so in the event that there was ever an emergency and we had to use those spillway gates, we know everything is in working order.”

The last time the Corps tested the spillway gates at the Hartwell Dam was in January 2010.  Robillard says these tests are required periodically in accordance with the Corps’ dam safety program.

“Under our Dam Safety Program, we are required to test the dams every three years,” said Robillard. “It has been long overdue for the Russell and Thurmond Dams. This is just a good opportunity to test the spillway gates while all the reservoirs are in flood storage right now.”

 In order to conserve water, safety officials will begin the test at Hartwell Dam first, which is the uppermost of the three. By doing so, the same water can be used to test Russell Dam and then Thurmond Dam.

Hartwell Lake is currently two feet above full pool because of the heavy rainfall we’ve been experiencing in recent weeks.

However, the test, while visually dramatic, will have only a minimal impact on reservoir levels, according to Robillard.

Because Hartwell Lake is already in the flood storage, above full pool, this is the perfect time for us to do these tests,” said Robillard. “We can use the same amount of Hartwell to test the Russell and Thurmond Dams downstream. We are looking at little impact on the reservoirs and at Hartwell; we are anticipating about three inches. Either way, the lake is still going to be at full pool after these tests.” 
Because Hartwell Lake is already in the flood storage, above full pool, this is the perfect time for us to do these tests,” said Robillard. “We can use the same amount of Hartwell to test the Russell and Thurmond Dams downstream. We are looking at little impact on the reservoirs and at Hartwell; we are anticipating about three inches. Either way, the lake is still going to be at full pool after these tests.” – See more at: http://wnegradio.com/safety-checks-at-hartwell-dam-others-this-week/#sthash.1mH1bl99.dpuf

The tests begin at Hartwell Dam Wednesday afternoon at 1p will last until 3:30p.

The test at Russell Dam will be Thursday morning from  8:30a  to 11a, and the spillway opening at Thurmond Dam will be Thursday afternoon from 1:30p to 4p.

The public may observe the tests from designated viewing and parking areas at each location. Parking is limited at all locations..

Due to the rapid increase in water flow during the test, the corps advises swimmers and boaters to avoid the area immediately downstream from the dams following the tests.

Charlie Bauder, WNEG Radio Toccoa contributed to this story