2,086 hippos-worth of trash has been removed from Alabama lakes and rivers since 2000, thanks to over 56,000 volunteers who have participated in an initiative spearheaded by Alabama Power.
The 10.4 million pounds of trash is the equivalent of 17 Boeing 747 jets or 3,478 Volkswagens, according Shorelines, a website and mobile app Alabama Power provides free of charge to individuals needing to keep track of water levels and other information related to Alabama’s lakes and rivers. Alabama Power manages 11 reservoirs and 14 hydroelectric dams on the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers.
“This is a valuable tool for the people who live on or visit our lakes,” said Matt Bowden, the company’s vice president of Environmental Affairs. “The mobile-friendly site and app provide instant access to lake information for people on the lake or those thinking about driving down for the weekend. This is a big leap forward in providing information people want in today’s on-the-go world.”
In addition to the convenience of being able to check lake levels and related information for recreational purposes, Shorelines also proved to be an invaluable resource during Alabama’s recent severe weather, which included tornados and flooding.
Multiple “lake condition alerts” went out to warn residents of flooding and inform them that spillway gates around the state were operating to help manage rising lake levels.
The weather events also showed that while Alabama Power’s hydroelectric dams help provide the power Alabamians demand, when heavy rains come, these structures, and the storage reservoirs behind them, can also help to soften the blow.
According to Alabama NewsCenter, “Alabama Power’s Smith Dam on the Black Warrior; Weiss and Logan Martin dams on the Coosa; and Harris and Martin dams on the Tallapoosa are specifically designed to help manage flows downstream during times of potential flooding.
“When heavy rains come, the reservoirs behind these dams can store water at levels well above their normal, summer capacity – which is exactly what they’ve been doing during recent days. The company releases the stored water behind the dams in a controlled manner, through its turbines and through dam spillgates, in coordination with the Corps, to help reduce downstream flooding.”
Some areas of the state were still hard-hit by flooding, but without the dams and communications efforts, the loss of life and property could have been much worse.
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