Toledo Bend
Bi-State
Alliance

A solution might be hard to come by, but we are glad to see the House Natural Resources Committee looking at problems with low water levels at Toledo Bend Reservoir.

The committee held a public hearing in Sabine Parish recently to hear from lake residents about the problems they have experienced during recent months.

The problems were caused by the lengthy drought this summer, combined with a high level of electric power generation at the lake’s hydroelectric plant drawing more water through the dam.

The low water left marinas and resorts at the lake isolated from water and boats at camps hanging high and dry above ground that once was covered by water.

Those attending the hearing -- most of whom were retirees from Louisiana and Texas -- told lawmakers that the low water during recent months robbed them of lake enjoyment and adequate fire protection. It also is jeopardizing economic development in the area, some said.

The lake’s regulatory bodies -- the Sabine River Authority in Louisiana and a sister agency in Texas -- have contracts with Entergy and Central Louisiana Electric Cooperative to generate power through the two hydroelectric generators at the dam.

Power generation causes more water to be drained from the lake, intensifying the low-water problems that already were being caused by the drought and high temperatures.

During the summer, the Sabine River Authority asked the two power companies to cease or reduce power production schedules during the drought to slow the receding water levels. In the past, the companies had agreed to such requests, but they refused this time, citing the extremely high cost to obtain the needed power from the national grid.

The Toledo Bend Bi-State Alliance, a group representing some 2,800 residents and business owners at the lake, has been calling for the authorities to cut power production when the reservoir reaches 168 feet above sea level. At 172 feet, the lake is full, but below 168 feet, people begin losing access to the water. The water level dropped to 163 during the summer.

The contracts between the two utilities and the authorities call for them to provide power until the reservoir is down to 162 feet, a Sabine River Authority official said.

Three organizations of lake property owners want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order the authorities to implement a new operating guide with a 168-foot minimum reservoir level.

State Rep. Joe Salter, D-Florien, is drafting a resolution to get the Legislature to join the push for a minimum draw-down level on the lake.

We hope that a solution for the problem can be found. Toledo Bend is one of the state’s great natural resources and an important tourist draw. If the low-water conditions are allowed to persist, its attraction will be destroyed or seriously minimized.