Timing of lake level ‘draw down’
continues to be debated locally

February 27, 2005

By WALLACE McBRIDE
Index-Journal senior staff writer

Despite being a manmade, landlocked mass of water, Lake Greenwood has a fairly complex lifecycle.
Lake levels are maintained by adding or subtracting water at scheduled points of the year, a process devised to maintain natural habitats, manage water outflows and power a local hydroelectric facility.
Roy Mendelsohn, a retired engineer who lives on the lake, has been fighting for more than a year to adjust the “draw down” schedule for the lake. During September each year, the lake is lowered by two feet, from an elevation of 439 feet to 437. That level is “drawn down” again by two and a half feet in January before returning to full levels in later months.
Mendelsohn is asking for the September draw down to be delayed until November, a request granted last fall on a temporary basis.
“The county did agree to delay the September draw down,” Mendelsohn said. “I then heard from Councilman (Patrick) Moody and the chairman that they had agreed to maintain the draw down until Dec. 1, which is even later than I was asking.”
Still, Mendelsohn is seeking to make the Nov. 1 draw down a permanent part of the lake’s environment. The delay adds two months to the boating season, he says, extending the amount of time available for recreational use.
Not everyone thinks the change in schedule is a good idea, though. When lake levels remain high for long periods of time, it creates a smaller window of opportunity for installing retaining walls, piers and other structures, said Randall Barrett, owner of Outdoor Creations.
“If the water stays up longer than normal, it takes longer for the water to go down, dry out,” Barrett said. “If they hold it up to November like they did this year, it cuts work out for us.”
Retaining walls help manage erosion around the lakeshore, he said.
Barrett said there are probably many lake residents who would like to see the boating season extended, even though it creates problems for construction efforts.
“To a certain point I have to agree with them,” he said. “There are some good boating days in October. But we’d rather have (the draw down) back in September, like it was.”
The draw down schedule was last changed 10 years ago following a request from Duke Power, the S.C. Wildlife and Marine Resources Division and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is also involved with the process because it issues the lake’s operating license to the county.
“I’ve submitted a formal application for a change in the rule curve,” Mendelsohn said. “FERC stated to (U.S. Rep.) Gresham Barrett’s office that if County Council, DNR and Duke Power approved it, they saw no reason why they wouldn’t approve a change.”
Duke Power is not in support of the idea, he said.
“If we can’t get County Council to give us any support, I was considering a petition drive,” he said.
Moody said the county will probably continue to delay the lake draw down in coming years, but probably not through a formal policy change.
“I think that council is hesitant to change the rule curve at this time,” he said. “If we pursue changing the rule curve we have to open up the entire licensing process again, which will allow federal agencies like FERC, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and state agencies like DNR to become part of that process.
“My concern would be that, typically, those agencies have used the process to impose greater restrictions on property owners and those that use the lake,” Moody said.
“Council has been gathering info(rmation), and at this point we are not prepared to make an official policy statement,” said Council Chairman Robbie Templeton. “We’re talking to different parties, but at this point we’re not ready to change our official policy.”
Moody said there were benefits to maintaining lake levels through November, for both recreational use and the hydroelectric facility.
There was ample rainfall last fall, he said, but that does not guarantee that future years will be as wet, he said.
“It is our intent to keep that level up as long as possible,” he said. “If we get into a drought situation during that time, we would still have to meet FERC outflow requirements.
There’s no guarantee that we can keep the level up for as long as we’re hoping that we can.” “It was an interesting fall,” Mendelsohn said. “Initially we had the heavy, heavy rainfalls because of the hurricanes. The lake actually came at its full level. If the rainfall is low, then in order to maintain a minimum downstream flow they have to drop the lake.
“October and November were quite dry, so was December,” he said. “They were still able to maintain the minimum downstream flow and still able to keep the lake level up.”

Wallace McBride covers Greenwood and general assignments in the Lakelands. He can be reached at 223-1812, or: wmcbride@indexjournal.com

John Hutira

John Michael Hutira, 74, of 406 Rivers Run, husband of Coral Otterson Hutira, died Friday, Feb. 25, 2005 at his home.
Born in Detroit, he was a son of the late John and Theresa Zelenitz Hutira. He was an Army veteran during the Korean conflict and retired from General Motors in Mansfield, Ohio with over 25 years of service. He was a resident of Greenwood since 1996 and a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife of the home; three daughters, Karen Piontek of Greenwood, Nancy Howard of Rochester, Mich. and Diane Morfe of Milford, Mich.; a brother, Frank Hutira of Lavonia, Mich.; a sister, Anne DuFresne of Houghton Lake, Mich.; and eight grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial is 11 a.m. Monday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, conducted by Father Richard Harris.
Entombment is in the Oakbrook Memorial Park Mausoleum.
Pallbearers are Randy Piontek, Chris Piontek, Art Zanker, Jim Jenson, Syl Morfe and Dick Blosser.
A rosary service is 6-6:30 tonight at Blyth Funeral Home with visitation continuing until 8. The family is at the home of Karen and Randy Piontek, 102 Erica Place in Hunters Creek.
Memorials may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 915 Mathis Road, Greenwood, S.C. 29649 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.
Blyth Funeral Home is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blythfuneralhome.com

Lewis E. Brown

AIKEN — Mr. Lewis Elmore Brown, 87, of Aiken, died Thursday, February 24, 2005 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers.
Funeral services will be held at 11 AM Monday, February 28, 2005 at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church. Rev. Leon Clement Mozeliak, Jr. will officiate. Interment will follow in Historic Bethany Cemetery.
Mr. Brown was born in Aiken to the late Ernest E. and Dora Bell Staubes Brown. He graduated from Aiken Institute in 1935, and then attended Augusta Junior College. He worked for the Augusta Chronicle as a regional distributor, and for the Bank of Aiken.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January, 1942, serving as a radio technician in the South Pacific until 1945. Upon his return to Aiken at the end of World War II, he was asked to join Hutson Etherredge Agency. He later bought the agency which is the largest continuously operating business in Aiken.
Mr. Brown married the former Marguerite Thomas. He has been an active community leader. He served, as did his father, on Aiken City Council for many years. He was a longtime member of the Aiken Housing Authority. He was a communicant at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church and an active member of the American Legion, the Aiken Lion’s Club, Voiture Nationale, the Aiken Partnership Board of USCA Aiken Businessmen’s Club, and other organizations.
The Browns established the Lewis E. and Marguerite T. Brown Scholarship at USCA in 1984. In 1980 he was awarded Aiken Sertoma Club’s Service to Mankind Award. In 1998, he was awarded the USCA Development Service Award. In 2000, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.
Mr. Brown was preceded in death by his wife, Marguerite Thomas Brown.
He is survived by three daughters and sons in law, Pamela and Rickie Thornton, Marguerite “Peggy” and Alan Wertz, and Adelaide and Gratin Smith; nine grandchildren, Brown Thornton, Harley Thornton, Meg Ivey, Katy Derrick, Charlotte Wertz, Carter Wertz, Caleb Smith, Parrish Smith and Grace Smith.
Pallbearers will be Craig Whittle, Robert Whittle, Larry Holley, Spooky Weeks, Dan Bacot, Paul Reeves, John R. Thomas.
Honorary pallbearers will be La Societe Des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux American Legion Post 26, Aiken Businessmen’s Club, and his Friday Lunch Group.
Memorials may be directed to the Lewis E. and Marguerite T. Brown Scholarship Fund at USCA, 471 University Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801, or to St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, 221 Pendleton Street, Aiken, SC 29801.
The family will receive friends from 5-7 PM Sunday evening at the funeral home.
Please visit Mr. Brown’s online memorial at http://shellhousefuneralhome.com Shellhouse Funeral Home, Inc., 924 Hayne Ave., Aiken, SC.
PAID OBITUARY

Lander men get their bye

Win makes LU 2nd in PBC North

February 27, 2005

By BRIAN HOWARD
Assistant sports editor

One win is all the Lander University men’s basketball team needed for the North Division’s No. 2 seed in next week’s Peach Belt Conference.
The Bearcats got that important victory, defeating USC Aiken, 73-69, Saturday in front of a large homecoming crowd at Finis Horne Arena.
The victory assured Lander of an opening-round bye in the PBC tournament, its first since the tournament went to a 12-team format four years ago.
But it wasn’t easy, as the team went more than eight minutes without a field goal in the second half.
“I think we got a little timid and got on our toes, but we did exactly what we needed to do to win,” Lander first-year coach Bruce Evans said. “I never thought at the beginning of the year that we would get that number two seed. I am happy for our guys.”
Lander (17-10 overall, 10-6 PBC) led 55-39 when Scottie Smith scored on a layup and then hit one-of-two from the free-throw line to give the Bearcats their largest lead, 58-39, with 10 minutes, 46 seconds left.
But Lander, ranked No. 9 in the South Atlantic Regional, went cold from the field, scoring just one point from the foul line, while the Pacers (6-20, 2-14) used a 12-1 run to cut the deficit to eight, 59-51 after a free throw by Franchot Brown.
The Bearcats got their first field goal in more than eight minutes on an Emanuel Hodrea putback, followed by a Richard Gilliam layup, giving Lander a 63-51 lead with 3:06 left.
Richard Glover hit a free throw and ex-Lander player Trent Boyd drilled a 3-pointer with 2:38 left, cutting the gap to 63-58.
Lander turned the ball over on its next possession and Brown, who fouled out, scored on a two-handed dunk and was fouled by Jason Davis.
Brown picked up his fifth personnel foul just after the dunk for unsportsmanlike conduct with 1:21 to play.
Jarred Jackson hit one of his foul shots and Jahi Rawlings was fouled with 1:19 left, knocking down the pair of foul shots, giving Lander a 66-58 lead.
Leading 69-62, the Bearcats turned the ball over and Glover scored on a layup, cutting the gap to 69-64 with 20 seconds left.
Although USC Aiken continued to cut the lead in the final seconds, Lander held on for the victory.
“I thought we had good looks, but we didn’t make shots,” Evans said about the Bearcats’ cold spell. “What we’ve got to do is play good defense and that is something that we have done all year long.”
Jackson led Lander with 19 points, while Richard Gilliam added 15. The Bearcats wet 23 of 56 shooting for 41.1 percent, and were 8-of-27 from behind the 3-point line.
Kenny Burr paced USC Aiken with 18 points, while Josh Poston added 12.
Lander’s opponent in the PBC tournament next week has yet to be determined.

New Duke nuclear plant would help independence

February 27, 2005

In these times of high energy costs, it’s encouraging to hear that Duke Power is considering building a new nuclear power plant somewhere in the Carolinas. Duke, which serves the Greenwood area, has maintained for years it needed to add new nuclear plants over the next decade to serve the region’s growing population as well as the industrial development and expansion.
It should be a welcome step for its customers. There’s no reason nuclear energy should not be used. Other nations besides the U. S. have proved it is safe and unlimited. Compared to the availability and cost of oil to operate energy plants, and the environmental considerations of coal-fired operations, nuclear energy gets more attractive every day.

THE COST OF BUILDING new nuclear power plants is a factor, naturally, but after a while it pays for itself. Oil doesn’t ….. and who knows what lies ahead in the volatile oil-rich Middle East, Venezuela and oil-producing countries in Africa?
The members of OPEC – oil exporting countries – have shown more than once how they can disrupt the flow of oil and put a strain on our economy. The U. S., through nuclear power, could keep from being held economic hostage by oil-producing nations that are often no more than fair-weather friends.