Big Canoe Lake Petit Dam: New Open Records Shed Light On GA Safe Dam’s Increasing Frustration

This Newspaper routinely sends Georgia Open Records Act (“GORA”) Requests.  Open Records received from EPD’s Ga Safe Dams Division have usually painted a much different picture than what has been presented to Property Owners by the Board, General Manager Scott Auer, and our Engineer Geosyntec.  Data has been compiled into 19 Articles so far on this subject, and a website, https://www.lakepetitdam.com/ has been created to archive over 50 years of reports and data.  This latest GORA Response batch, received in late November, is a bit disturbing and highlights clearly a couple of critical facts…..

1. The POA is gambling the entire future of Big Canoe Finances on a “Hope” that things will go their way in the upcoming Lower Level Outlet inspection “pre-test” – and that if things don’t go the way they are hoping, the entire Core Drainage System within the Dam is most likely going to have to be REPLACED.
2. That Georgia Safe Dams appears to have completely lost patience with the POA and our Engineer of Record, Geosyntec.

Following are some recently revealed timeline communications that I believe supports the above summary.  I have added some highlights in the documents that I think are pertinent, also provided some excerpts for those not wanting to click in and read the entire communications:

August 26, 2022 Memorandum
“The POA discussed their desire to attempt to test the existing low-level outlet (LLO) sluice gate for Lake Petit Dam (Dam) prior to implementing a large-scale replacement project.”

August 21, 2022 Geosyntec Update Letter on LLO & Permit Process
“To-date, no responses have been received due to elevated backlog in the specialty underwater construction industry and with the manufacturers supporting this industry. The POA continues to coordinate with these contractors for pricing, scope, and schedule and anticipates having resolution regarding the path forward on the LLO test.”

Nov. 7, 2022 GSD Issues Deadline on LLO Test + reminder on Stability Testing Requirements
“This office has reviewed your letter dated October 21, 2022, regarding the low-level outlet and permit update for the subject dam. It is our understanding that an update will be provided to this office no later than November 18, 2022. This update must include a date-specific schedule for testing the existing low-level outlet. No later than December 15, 2022, you must provide a date specific schedule for submitting plans and other documentation to update the permit including proposed drain modifications. If no schedule is provided for testing the low-level outlet, replacement of the outlet should also be part of these plans. As a reminder, an updated stability study, including a review of seismic stability, should be provided as part of the permit application.”

Nov. 18, 2022 Geosyntec Responds with “tentative” LLO Test and/or “Replacement”
“the POA plans to provide a date specific schedule for submitting plans and permit update information for the proposed drain modifications and/or replacement of the LLO no later than 15 December 2022.”

LET THIS BE PERFECTLY CLEAR…. FOBC is NOT saying that there is a 100% chance that the LLO will need replacing (which would most likely involve the complete draining of the lake, digging out the core of the Dam, and then a full rebuild).

The Issue is that the POA has not even addressed this possibility with property owners.  Indeed, listening to their presentations it appears that they are putting all of their eggs into the basket of “hope” in which the “testing” goes fine.  But the facts are not as hopeful, nor comforting.  This Drain System has never been tested in the entire 50 years of it’s existence.  It is a rusty, degraded gate and hinge system 110 feet down at the bottom of a lake.  Decades of warning from the Dam Designer, Safe Dams, and Geosyntec are all suddenly being ignored in place of a new mantra that seems to indicate that this is a common, run of the mill thing.  IT IS NOT!  It is going to be an extremely perilous venture for the Divers that undertake the work, potentially life threatening as brave men literally risk their lives to bail out Big Canoe from 50 years of negligence.  And there is a very real chance that this doesn’t go as planned, is deemed too unsafe to attempt, or worst of all that it is attempted, and blows out the guts of the dam causing a catastrophic sudden failure – or gets stuck open and rapidly drains the lake and causes landslides to homes around the periphery.  All of these possibilities are WELL DOCUMENTED through open record review.

And here is the concern…. the POA Board and Management don’t seem to have a Plan B.  Everything is resting on this HOPE that the ability to successfully test this Dam moves forward.  In the meantime they are seemingly doubling down on their Unfunded Spending Spree, as detailed recently in an exceptional article by Ms Patricia Cross, Self-inflicted Chaos…

Make no mistake… in the event of “REPLACEMENT”, the financial cost to this community is going to be substantial.  This “possible” scenario should be openly discussed and fairly presented as part of the Budgetary process.

Lastly…. tomorrow, on Saturday Dec 3 2022, we hold our annual Big Canoe Town Hall.  This year our engineer, Geosyntec, will be on hand to deliver an update on the Dam, and to answer questions.  I feel very strongly that 2 questions need answering:

1. In the event that the LLO testing does not pan out…. discuss what “Replacement” looks like; and what the potential costs are.
2. 1998 Engineering Studies by our previous engineering teams, Jordan Jones and Goulding & Piedmont Geotechnical Services, established that Lake Petit Dam was substantially below legal Seismic Stability Levels.  After a Compliance Order was issued that would have required the draining of the Lake, the POA hired Geosyntec to come up with “creative solutions”.  They performed a Seismic Study that quite creatively picked a Lake Volume number out of thin air (3000 acre feet) to be used in their calculations.  Per the recent August 2022 Bathymetric Volume Study, we now know that the number used to previously justify the Seismic Stability o the Dam by Geosyntec…. was horribly made up and well below the actual data points that should have been used.  Here is the Question….. How does geosyntec explain their previous use of “made up” data, and why do they think that they will be able to pass Seismic Stability testing now, with worse data, and a Dam that has further deteriorated?

The POA and their Engineer should be forced to address these issues on Saturday.

Peace,
– david / publisher
Focus on Big Canoe, GA

* a publication of The Mountains Voice