FOBC recently presented our 16th Article on Lake Petit Dam. It contained recently updated analysis & information on the ongoing Repair and Legal Compliance process that has been underway since 1997, when the Dam was first determined to be Seismically unstable, and was subsequently put under a Compliance Order (which has NEVER been rescinded, nor the terms therein fulfilled). Of course the reason for the elevated concern the past few years has been the deterioration of conditions, and the discovery (through FOBC’s reporting) of just how far out of Compliance the Dam had gotten. An entire website, www.LakePetitDam.com, has been created by FOBC to document 5 decades of historical records.
But according to Big Canoe G.M. Scott Auer, all of this is merely the “Fake News” ranting of a “Tabloid” that people should “not read”.
On July 16, 2022 Big Canoe held its annual Town Hall Meeting. Scott Auer stated that he “will always tell you the truth.” Then he proceeded to tell you lies, and twist the facts. There were two sections where Lake Petit Dam was discussed. The 1st was a brief 24 seconds long, beginning at Timestamp 24:12 in the Video, and real meat of the presentation was a 7min & 37 secs in duration, and begins at Timestamp 25:38 in the Video. FOBC has taken the time to prepare a 2 Page PDF Transcript of those sections, for clarity and ease of reference.
Now some specific rebuttals:
(1) Scott Auer stated that after the Dive and Camera Inspections, “they came back and they said it’s amazingly good condition.”
Here is what Geosyntec actually said in the recent annual inspection report:
“A dive inspection of the sluice gate structure which serves as the intake for the low-level outlet pipe was completed in September 2020. A camera inspection of the low-level outlet pipe was completed on December 2020. Both inspections indicated that the inlet structure and pipe are in generally fair to good condition.”
“Amazingly Good” vs “generally fair to good.”
I will let the reader judge whether this is “Truthful” representation, but I will first remind readers that this is not a minor issue we are talking about. This is serious stuff that involves public safety, our water supply, a potential threat to our infrastructure and potentially our existence as a community. Is this the level of “truth” that Property Owners are comfortable being provided in presentations, coming from the guy we pay a Quarter Million Dollars a year to? AND, I will at every opportunity also remind people that we still do not have access to the actual dive and camera data, and they have even refused to give it to GA Safe Dams. I mean, if these reports are so “Amazing”, why wouldn’t they be proud to share them?
(2) Here is how Scott Auer described the Lake Disharoon work as a reference to upcoming Lake Petit plans:
“Meanwhile we’re over at Lake Disharoon, and uh, in 2021 we replaced that whole sluice gate mechanism, kind of like that, but it’s 50 feet down instead of 100, and it had that horrible corrugated metal pipe that blew out which is what caused the whole Disharoon thing last year. So we used an underwater diving company, and they did great. They they do nuclear power plants actually. These guys are crazy. They’re like, you know, navy seal kind of people. And they went down, and they replaced all the parts of the gate, and it went flawlessly, and we said, “Wow that went really flawlessly. That’s really cool. If it went so flawlessly there, maybe it would go that flawlessly on lake Petit as well.”
FACTS: The Lake Disharoon sluice gate is located approximately 15’+/- feet under water. The actual replacement of the sluice gate mechanism didn’t occur until a year AFTER the failure. There were no Navy Seal dive teams dispatched to replace 50′ feet under water structures. What there apparently was, was the POA, without adult supervision from Geosyntec, ordered the valves thrown wide open (WHO? ASK WHO!), which got the sluice gate stuck open, and the full force of the water blew out the Corrugated Pipe. One year later a dive crew dropped through approx. 15′ of water to finally replace parts of the sluice gate, and we don’t know why that wasn’t done when the Lake was drained the first time, when they could have just walked up and fixed it – but didn’t. And again, no Nuclear Power Seal Teams doing hazardous duty 50′ feet deep were utilized.
Disclaimer: I am NOT mocking the Dive Crews, that I am sure are capable of quite hazardous performance. I am mocking the theatrical exaggeration by Scott Auer.
And what the hell exactly “went flawlessly”??? A Reminder of the cost of all this from a recent June 30 Board Minutes:
“Lydell Mack presented details of a proposal to remove silt from Lake Sconti and the stream between the Rock Slide and Lake Sconti…. The work is scheduled to begin in October and should be completed in two to three months…… Board voted 5-0 to approve a contract not to exceed $550,000 to dredge Lake Sconti and the stream below the Rock Slide.”
We’re currently around $1.6 + Million in Damages for this “flawless” execution.
And I want to make this last comment EXTREMELY CLEAR regarding the last part of Scott Auer’s statement, “maybe it would go that flawlessly on Lake Petit as well.“ THE ANECDOTAL STORY SCOTT GAVE NEVER HAPPENED AS DESCRIBED. I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE CLUSTER-F#CK AT DISHAROON, SHOULD BE MAKING DECISIONS ON THE MUCH LARGER AND MORE SERIOUS LAKE PETIT DAM. IF THE SAME ‘FLAWLESS EXECUTION” WERE CARRIED OUT WITH LAKE PETIT, WE MIGHT NOT HAVE A COMMUNITY ANY MORE!!!
So one last point:
(3) Scott Auer, if you are alleging that THIS Newspaper has ever suggested that the main Lower Level Outlet Pipe in Lake Petit Dam is Corrugated Metal Pipe (CMP), then you are misinformed. To be 100% Clear, I have released the documents that clearly show it as concrete piping. But you are either intentionally diverting attention away from yourself, or you do not grasp the engineering aspects involved here (possibly both):
(A) Just because it is Concrete Pipe does NOT in any way give it immunity from failure and “blowing out the guts” of the Dam. This pipe is in a Dam that is 50 years old. Settling and Voids due to seepage over the years leaves the Pipe subject to shifting. If for the 1st time in 50 Years you throw open the valve, the enormous rush and pressure of water could further dislocate the Pipe. Just a small opening caused by settling could start enormous flushing of dirt within the core of the Dam, and lead to failure.
(B) There actually is a substantial amount of Corrugated Black Plastic & Metal Pipe (CMP) within the Dam. The purpose of it (and other pipe networks) is to relieve the water pressure within the Dam, without which the water levels rise, and you get seepage and leaks that lead to “Piping Failure”. And here is what part of the recent Ga Safe Dams Inspection Reports (1) (2) said about the condition of that Corrugated Plastic & Metal Pipe:
- “multiple blk corrigated pipe crumbling/deteriorating”
- “The toe drains to the right of the low-level outfall cannot be measured. They are deteriorated CMP material”
So this newspaper did NOT report, or imply that the Low Level Outlet Pipe in Lake Petit was corrugated as Scott Auer tried to imply, when he stated, “despite what you read in the tabloids and the fake media, that we have a lot of around here, that is not a corrugated metal pipe.”
But there IS deteriorated Corrugated Metal Pipe (and other lesser pipes) in the drainage system within the Dam, Mr. Auer. And it IS deteriorated like the “corrugated metal pipe like we had at lake Disharoon” and that IS deteriorated like the “corrugated metal pipe like we had under the golf course”. And while it is not as directly critical to the functioning of the Dam as the main Lower Level Outlet is…. it does serve the critical function of relieving internal water pressure; and it is 50 years old and needing of replacement. Replacement of drainage pipes means more digging into the Dam, which is of course minor compared to replacing the Lower Level Outlet Pipe. The multitude of “little”, “medium” and “BIG” things to keep this 50 year old dam alive are adding up, and avoiding what is needed as a “comprehensive solution” is an ever increasing juggling act.
Facts Matter! The manner and comprehensiveness in which facts are delivered also matter. When the Community is gathered at the Annual Townhall Meeting, don’t we deserve straight forward answers, devoid of glitzy and sensational marketing spin, and piecemeal information? Just the facts, Mr. Auer. All the facts.
Note to Scott Auer: perhaps you should focus on your own responsibilities, and cease from attempting to deflect onto others your own lack of personal accountability.
This Article Shareable Online at our FOBC Public News Group:
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Peace,
– david / publisher
Focus on Big Canoe, GA
* a publication of The Mountains Voice
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