We headed back to Kerr Lake, to enjoy the lower expected temps and work on a few things around the houseboat and pontoon boat. Kerr is now at the lowest water level during boating season it's seen in 50 years! There are LOTS of pics in this post, showing islands that have popped up, as well as grounded boats and docks. A sad sight, for sure...
There are over 4400 floating docks and piers on Kerr Lake, most of which are on the ground. That's a lot of pissed off voters, which would lead one to believe there are politicians with property on Gaston. The gov't says they must maintain Gaston at +/- 1' at all costs to protect the ecology, for wildlife protection, and for property protection (docks and boats).... never mind the upstream Kerr Lake that was built and filled 10 years prior and abt 2.5 times the size of Gaston. Life on Gaston is normal, and VA Beach are on NO water restrictions, as if nothing is wrong.
Politicians.... always politicians have their fingers in things. Politicians are the reason Gaston "must have a protected water level". Here it is:
North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt became directly involved in negotiating and signing the formal approval to settle the Lake Gaston pipeline dispute and maintain the lake's water levels in 1995.
A preliminary settlement agreement was initially drafted and signed by Governor Hunt and Virginia Beach officials in July 1995.
The core provisions of this involvement included:The "Run-of-Kerr" Rule: To address North Carolina's concerns that pumping drinking water to Virginia Beach would deplete the lake, the agreement dictated that water levels would be stringently maintained. It required synchronization of dam releases, capping any water level rise or fluctuation on Lake Gaston to just one foot (except during major floods) to protect local docks and wildlife.
The Legislative Collapse: Despite Governor Hunt signing onto the compromise to protect downstream flows, the 1995 settlement ultimately fell apart at midnight on June 30, 1997. Virginia Governor George Allen refused to call a special legislative session to ratify it, leading to further court battles until a final multi-party agreement allowed the pipeline to move forward with permanent water-level safeguards.
So....
1 - Kerr lake has surpassed a 50 year low and is virtually inaccessible due to all closed ramps.
2- Property owners are grounded around Kerr's more than 900 miles of shoreline.
3- Fish habitats are exposed all over.
4- Shellfish are dead in record numbers, making many beaches very foul smelling.
5- Algae bloom is exploding and watergrass is taking over coves that were under water just weeks ago.
... yet the COE / Gov't is focused on keeping Lake Gaston full. Seeing the political noise I found and printed above, the powers-to-be take us to be sheep and idiots. Below is a group of grounded docks / boats just near me. We're fortunate to be in a marina that still has some water, allowing us to get out and look around...
Deb prepared a great breakfast on Friday morning.
Feeding fish from the front porch of the houseboat, after breakfast...
