FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONTICELLO, INDIANA
DATE: August 10, 2016
CONTACT: Lee Kreul, President
lkreul@comcast.net, 765 412-2984
SFLECC CAUTIONS LAKE FREEMAN RESIDENTS TO MONITOR LAKE LEVELS
As of Monday, August 8th, Lake Freeman is over six inches below its normal level and without rainfall soon, it could go lower as NIPSCO complies with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) mandate to release almost twice as much water through the Oakdale dam as is incoming upstream. “The SFLECC has been fighting this battle with FWS since 2010, and after spending tens of thousands of dollars, and getting the support of hydrologists with the Federal Energy Commission (FERC) and the State of Indiana, we continue to have the heavy hand of the FWS and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) threatening our economy, our environment and our lakes during the height of the summer season” said SFLECC President Lee Kreul. Last week NIPSCO alerted Lake Freeman residents of an “Abnormal Low Flow” event that was triggered when flow readings at the Winamac USGS dropped below the 300 cfs level. As a result, FWS’s order, NIPSCO is forced to discharge a minimum of 500cfs at the Oakdale Dam.
SFLECC Lakes Level Task Force Chairman, John Koppelmann asserted, “we want to be clear; we have nothing against protecting endangered species. We are simply seeking a balance of protecting both the environment and the lakes. These are run-of-the-river dams that have co-existed with the environment for generations and the science simply does not support the benefits of artificially manipulating our lake levels.” Citing the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife first ordered the lowering of the lakes in 2010 to provide more water for the nesting grounds of endangered mussels below the dam. In 2014, FWS issued its “Technical Assistance Letter” (TAL) which required NIPSCO to violate its federal license that had required it to operate the dams in order to maintain a three inch plus/minus variance of the level of the lakes. As a result of the FWS mandate, Lake Freeman fell 2.76 feet during August 2014. The SFLECC filed a protest in 2015 with FERC refuting the methodology used by FWS. Last October, FERC issued its preliminary environmental assessment that concurred with the SFLECC’s position that FWS’s science was “flawed”. Koppelmann added, “This has been an excruciatingly long process. At this point, we are waiting on the release of FERC’s final report and that could take as long as another year. Until then, NIPSCO and lake residents are at the mercy of the Endangered Species Act and the Fish and Wildlife’s mandate to release more water.”
According to Kreul, “without rain soon, Lake Freeman water levels will drop and that causes us new concerns about human health. We anticipate pools of shallow water appearing along our lakes, providing a fertile incubation ground for mosquitos.” Just last week, Tippecanoe County reported mosquitos carrying the West Nile virus.
SFLECC officials urge Lake Freeman residents to monitor the SFLECC’s website www.sflecc.com to check the Tippecanoe River flows and access links to the NIPSCO and USGS river flow data.
SFLECC officials are also encouraging lake residents to be proactive and aware of the lake levels by monitoring the SFLECC website for lake level details and alerts or by signing up for one of three free options for water level alerts: 1) White County Emergency Notification System at www.wcgconline.net, 2) NIXLE Alerts where local NIPSCO hydro-related updates are available at www.nixle.com, or 3) NIPSCO alerts at www.nipscohydro.com. There are also free apps that can be downloaded to mobile devices to receive the daily flow levels for the Winamac gauge, and the gauges below Norway Dam and Oakdale Dam. The IOS apps are: “Floodwatch” and “Rivercast”. For Android devices use: “Riverflows” or “Levels-USGS Water Data”.
SFLECC Executive Director, Joe Roach added “I would love to tell everyone that this lowering of the lakes problem has been resolved, but I can’t. While we are encouraged that FERC’s preliminary report agrees with our position, we must wait for the final report to be issued from Washington DC. In the meantime, I urge all lake property owners to be careful; to be observant of exposed stumps and monitoring their boat lifts and even removing their boats if necessary.” Roach suggests checking the SFLECC website at www.sflecc.com or calling the local office at 574-583-9784.
OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SFLECC
John Koppelmann, Lake Levels Task Force Chair
john@johnsellshomes.com 574 583-3171
Joe Roach, Executive Director
info@sflecc.com 574 583-9784
ABOUT SFLECC – The Shafer & Freeman Lakes Environmental Conservation Corporation was formed in 1994 to take title to Lake Freeman and Shafer shorelines and other nearby properties owned by NIPSCO. It is a non-profit corporation whose Articles of Incorporation state its mission is “to promote environmentally sound use of Lake Shafer and Lake Freeman. The corporation will conduct itself in a way to protect and enhance the environment and the water quality of these lakes in order to facilitate public recreational use. The Corporation will accomplish this purpose through various activities, including but not limited to, the issuance and administration of permits for the use of shoreline property, the testing of the water quality, monitoring shoreline quality and ensuring continued public access.” The SFLECC Board of Directors meets at 7:00PM on the third Thursday of each month at the White County Memorial Hospital. Meetings are open to the public.
