SML, Staunton River: What’s behind the water war?

Residents along Smith Mountain Lake and the Staunton River are waging war over water.

The fight is anchored around Appalachian Power Company’s relicensing of the Smith Mountain Project, which requires a new permit for how much water is released from the Leesville Lake dam into the river.

About 2,000 citizens flooded Gretna High School in August for a contentious public hearing about the plan. The Department of Environmental Quality received more than 600 written comments, most coming from residents above the dam who expressed concerns about the proposal.

Here are the answers to some of the basic questions about the controversy.

What is it all about?
As part of APCo’s relicensing, several state and federal agencies require new permits. One of those permits determines how much water is required to be discharged from the Leesville Lake dam in order to preserve water quality downstream on the Staunton River while maintaining Smith Mountain Lake’s levels.

Currently an average minimum of 650 cubic feet per second is required to be released from the dam unless there is a special variance related to drought conditions. Downstream users have long complained that the current plan keeps river levels too low during dry spells and drought.

In response, several state agencies and APCo have worked on a compromise plan to create a more natural river flow and keep the lake closer, but not necessarily at, full pond.

The plan, called HL-8, “tries to balance conflicting objectives,” said DEQ Environmental Program Manager Joe Hassell, who has played a key role in the permit renewal.

How does the plan work?
The amount of water released from Leesville Lake’s dam would be based on triggers. Those take into account the time of year, four-month climate forecasts and current Smith Mountain Lake levels, Hassell said. The goal is to maintain as high a lake level as possible while also maintaining minimum river flows downstream necessary for recreation and to preserve the fisheries, Hassell said.

“For example, if the lake level is high at the end of the summer, then the triggers won’t trip because that’s good,” Hassell said. “If the lake level is low at the beginning of the summer, then we’re in trouble.”

How do those above the dam feel about the plan?
Many living along Smith Mountain Lake say the HL-8 plan will allow lake levels to fall too low, which they say creates safety problems for boaters and fire boats. Public comments made to DEQ express concern that boating access and sa