YOU CAN MAKE THE WATER LEVELS AT KERR LAKE BETTER…WITH JUST ONE EMAIL

Kerr lake Park Watch is working right up to Friday’s deadline to get its members and the public to support the adoption of the QRR Plan by the U S Army Corps of Engineers.  Kerr Lake Park Watch public affairs lead, Frank Timberlake appeared on Henderson radio station WIZS’s TOWN TALK this morning urging people to send just a short email to the Corps.

The urgency is that this is the last week to make comments that count in the Corps’s official record of the 216 or water administration plan for Kerr Lake. THIS IS THE LAST WEEK TO MAKE COMMENTS TO CORPS.

Timberlake told the radio audience, “If people want higher and more consistent water levels on Kerr Lake, they have this one window of a few days to help make that difference. QRR = better water levels and conditions for Kerr Lake.”

Kerr Lake Park Watch wants to help Kerr Lake sustain more consistent levels to help recreation and tourism and is asking its members and interested citizens around the lake and those who visit Kerr Lake to take a few minutes to help for years. “It’s just a few minutes to write an email that can help so many aspects of Kerr Lake, its residents and its visitors, said, Kerr Lake Park Watch spokesman, Frank Timberlake.  “You need to write to the U S Army Corps of Engineers in support of adopting the QRR plan during the last days of the comment period.  QRR is simply, Quasi-Run-of-River, which means letting the water flow downstream more naturally than holding it up.

As a property owner, camper, hiker, fisherman or other Kerr Lake user, the adoption of QRR by the Corps into the overall 216 plan that dictates the administration of Kerr Lake would benefit you by less flooding as witnessed recently, more public areas not under water, more consistent and higher lake levels because water would be more naturally sent downstream, quicker.”

The Roanoke River Basin Association (RRBA) puts passage of QRR like this: “Restoring more natural flow to the Roanoke: It’s good news for people and nature, improved timber stands, more growth time on the river and in forests of the floodplain, promotes more food for wildlife, improved water quality, provides for reducing erosion, and increasing flood storage.”

Timberlake, the public affairs officer for Kerr Lake Park Watch said, “Our two big points we actually want to insert in the front of that list are: (1) to keep more water off public areas and (2) to increase tourism traffic to Kerr Lake both in the secondary and primary seasons. So it’s now or never, put up or shut up regarding Kerr Lake Water Levels.  If QRR is adopted by the Corps of Engineers, everyone wins.  Write the emails, now!”

The time to enter public comment about QRR being adopted by the Corps, is now as the last date in the comment period is Friday, January 29^th.

Kerr Lake Park Watch has both short and long email/letter samples, which are free to the public and easily can be obtained by writing to info@kerrlakeparkwatch.org.  The official and the email address at the U S Army Corps of Engineers that public comment about QRR should be sent to is:

Eric Gasch at eric.k.gasch@usace.army.mil.

Late 2015 and early 2016 have seen a number of flood days on both local Kerr Lake roads and public areas. A Comparison of Existing and QRR Flood Operations — 2015-2016 which is plot graphic provided by Ashley Hatchell of the Water Management section of the Corps of Engineers, clearly shows the advantages of the QRR plan. The only disadvantages of QRR would be what power companies call “water spillage” which means water that moves through the system freely without having generated hydroelectric power.

“What the QRR plan does in effect is to move the flow quicker and to allow for higher lake levels when normal conditions exist,” said Timberlake, adding, “And with Kerr Lake Park Watch, really high lake levels are among our top complaints for recreation and tourism.  So now the public can either help make QRR happen or learn to like what’s been happening to Kerr in recent years.  At Kerr Lake Park Watch, we hope they’ll write the public comment emails.”