Dougherty County resident requests action after March flooding of his home

ALBANY — A Lovers Lane resident says he thinks the March flooding of his residence did not have to happen as a dam operator to the north’s action in releasing water too quickly contributed to his misery.

Ned Newcomb told Doughety County commissioners on Monday that the March 20 flooding of his residence did not get much attention at the time due to the COVID-19 crisis.

He said the sudden release of water from Lake Blackshear, combined with flooding of the Kinchafoonee and Muckalee Creeks at the time, combined to back water up in his neighborhood.

Some 2 inches of water entered his residence, he said, one of eight that flooded during the event.

“I’ve talked to the people in Crisp County,” he said, referring to the Crisp County Power Commission. “They don’t care about us. In March, Lake Blackshear was 4 feet low. Their story was they were anticipating a lot of water (there). That never happened.”

Newcomb made several requests of the commission: that the county request the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to give Georgia Power Co. the authority to release water from Lake Chehaw ahead of flooding from farther north, the installation of a flood gauge for Lake Chehaw, and that the county develop a website that offers a one-stop source of information about potential flood events in the future.

Commissioner Russell Gray said that Georgia Power currently is not allowed to reduce water levels at the dam on Lake Chehaw to help reduce water levels ahead of receiving water from upstream, while the operators in Crisp County are allowed to do so.

“It’s bureaucracy, but I think this is easily reconciled with some (discussion) and collaboration between the chief entities involved,” he said.

For Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas, the requests seemed reasonable.

“That would be the easiest letter to write,” he said of asking FERC to give Georgia Power permission to lower water levels ahead of anticipated flood events.

He also requested that Albany Fire Department Chief Cedric Scott, who also serves as the county’s Emergency Management Agency director, give a report on flooding issues and potentially discuss placing a flood gauge and setting up a website.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]