Topic: Wind Wind Wind

[shamen]

Paddled this morning on Patriot Lake. What a trip! The wind was really ripping up especially at the end of the catch. Just heard the weatherman say it was gusting up to 40 MPH this morning. At several incidents I would start from a dead stand still no paddle in the water and  the boat would reach +4 MPH in less than .12 mile. Paddling with a quartering wind the rudder was completely out of the water could have used my understern rudder.
Great day to practice paddling broad side and learning control of the boat in a basically safe environment.
Paddling into the wind was extremely difficult as regard to effort but lots of fun.

Sad note is that Patriot has dropped another 4-6" since Tues. BB. There is now an island on the east end of the lake. At this level the evaporation rate is going to really increase and the lake is in real trouble. I think we need as a group to talk seriously with someone about opening the water valve. Peace vincent/shamen

[mhoward]

Vincent,
You know who to talk to about turning the pump on?

Think it might help if we contacted one of our lovely local news agency's?

We could just let it dry up and go out and collect all the sunglasses and what not that we have lost over the years.


michael

[shamen]

I sent an email to Laura Adams, head of the Shelby Farms Alliance, to find out who or what we can do. When I hear a response  I will post it. peace vicnet/shamen

[shamen]

The following is my email to Laura Adams and her reply:

Laura; The water level of Patriot Lake is  serious. At this level the 
evaporation rate is  going to increase more and more and quicker. As 
of this morning there is a new island at the east end of the lake. 
There is basically no place on the lake now where one cannot touch 
bottom with a kayak paddle(6'). The water level is dropping everyday. 
It dropped 5" from Tues.  evening until this morning. Water needs to 
be pumped in. Catch"em Lake is pumping water almost daily into those 
lakes. It would be interesting to know who is paying for that. We 
paddlers are very concerned. Memphis Whitewater Paddlers are willing   
in whatever way we can to get some water pumped in. Do we need to 
call, write letters, attend meetings, etc. ?

Hi Vincent,
I know.  We talked to Steve Satterfield about this a long time ago.  A
groundwater specialist at the University of Memphis was concerned that the
million or so gallons required would impact the shallow aquifer level.  The
county was also concerned about the cost of pumping that much water.  The
Shelby County road department is planning to divert the ditch so that future
rain water will be sent into the lake. 

We're working on having a hydrology study done that will inform the master
plan.  The hope is that we can reconnect the slews that once connected all
of the upland lakes and divert the overflow into Patriot Lake.  I realize
that is a long-term plan but it may be the most environmentally sound
solution.  Perhaps there is a short-term solution that can combine pumping
and diverting.  I agree that the situation has become dire.  I'll get back
in contact with you about this soon.
_________

That answer from Laura does not make me feel any better at all. It seems to me that the County or whoever is willing to let the lake just dry up. I still would like to know about Catch'em Lakes getting all that water and who is paying for it?  I am inclined to think that enough is not being said about this and a much larger voice needs to be heard. Maybe involving the media as Mike suggested needs to be done.
The notion of connecting the slews has been around at least 10 years to my knowledge. And nothing has been done. In fact the previous head of Shelby Farms talked to me about the idea of using the gradient of the upper level lakes, the slews to Patriot  and placing rocks in certain spots and creating a whitewater run whenever it rained.
Now isn't that an interseting idea? Would be something to put in this Master Plan that keeps being talked about.
I do not think we can just sit back and wait. The rain forecast for the rest of the summer is not very positive.
Peace vincent/shamen

[mhoward]

Vincent,
Do you think that they would get upset if we attached a yardstick to the pier for our own viewing pleasure?

Question that I keep asking myself about calling the local news is where or not we would piss off the Shelby Farms people and then show up the next week to see a sign that says no personal watercraft allowed or something like that.  But then again, that lake is a main part of Shelby Farms that more people than us use.



michael

[madapple]

i know someone that has some contacts at a certain alternative weekly newspaper...
I am sure they would be interested to know about catchem and the lack of water in patriot.

[Bill Perry]

I fear the difference between Patriot Lake and the catchem lake is the same with state run lakes refusing to allow there use to paddlers. Its that fishing carries higher number of supporters and the city or state dare not mess with them. As for fishing I'm not against it as I fish myself. I just prefer to do so waist deep in a ice cold river.

As far as pumping water in I can't see a problem. The privite lake my parents lived on for 33 years (Coro Lake) has a well and pump system that has been active for over 40 years. It runs every year when the lake gets to a certain level and it's a much, much, bigger lake then Patriot. It may even be running now. So the aquifer problem sounds like bunk to me. Sounds more like no one wants to cover the cost to please a bounch of paddle junkies, nature buffs, or tree huggers.

But seriously maybe if we got together with other groups in Memphis of like intrest to put pressure on these officals maybe then we could be looked at with the same consern as the users of the fishing lakes. I think being a part of one of the above mentioned groups we are looked at as being passive and nothing to worry about. As the weak list of excuses seem to show. I for one will be willing to help in some way if there is something we can do. Maybe like President Teddy we can speak softly but lets look for a big stick.     

[mhoward]

Or, as in the report in the CA last week

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/outdoors/article/0,1426,MCA_470_5569304,00.html

"The wells feeding Horseshoe, located on private property, will be able to pump 72 million gallons of water per day when all 10 are operating. Even at that rate, it's still not certain when the lake will be back at full pool."

I don't know "as the crow flies" how far Horseshoe Lake is from Patriot Lake, but I would have to guess the same aquifer is on the AR side of the river as is over here.

If they are going to pump 72 million gallons a day into Horseshoe Lake, I don't think a "million or so gallons" in Patriot would make that much  more of a difference in what the rest of the area is sucking out.

Vincent, you might want to tell Shelby Farms to fill up the lake before Horseshoe lake gets all the water.


later,
michael

[Elmore]

     There's one very big difference between Patriot Lake and Horseshoe Lake: one lake is surrounded by multi-million-dollar homes, and the other isn't.  I guess we should be happy that the Horseshoe Lake project is privately funded, or at least seems to be.
     One thing that neither the Commercial Appeal article nor Laura Adams's message is clear about is whether these pumping projects draw from the Memphis Sand artesian well, which is what gives us our wonderful drinking water.  While I don't want Patriot Lake to dry up any more than anyone else does, I'm very concerned about the job we as a society are doing to preserve this resource.
     Of course, agriculture is responsible for most of the waste, but there are little things we individuals can do, and that my wife and I are trying to do in our home--simpler, even, than putting in new toilets and stuff like that.  Some good tips are here:

http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AMR_content_2b11

     I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but hey... do YOU GUYS have a bucket in the shower to catch water for watering plants?

[jgafford]

Preaching to the choir is always good.  If you can also motivate them, then that is something very special. 

[Elmore]

     Interestingly enough, the following news item is popping up when you sign into America Online today (I hope this will be accessible to non-AOL users):

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/a-drought-for-the-ages-spreads-across-us/20070610103409990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Most of the U.S. is just plain dry.

[shamen]

I just love it when these post start extending themselves like this. And being that i am a clergy person by vocation and profession i will make use of the bully pulpit choir or not. 
I agree with you Elmore on how we need to begin to change our life styles. One of the best things out to point the way is a DVD called "Kilowatt Our."  It is very powerful and the best practical advice i have seen. A couple in East TN made the movie and started distributing it and it has become one of the most appreciated movies among those interested in the environmental.  I have a copy of it floating around somewhere here in Memphis which i would love to lend to anyone who would like to see it. In fact i have thought about offerig to show it at a MWW meeting, but i am not sure how well it would go over. We are like most folks rather be entertained than challenged.
The water being pumped for Horseshoe is from the Memphis Sands. In fact the rice farmers in Ark are now tapping into the Memphis Sands. If you do not know it the water we are getting from the Memphis Sands is now known to be water somewhere in the 40-45 years old not the the +100 years that had been thought.
I have learned just recently that the water the rice farmers are using is really an overuse. The rice only needs the water early in its growing period. Water is keep in the field not for rice growth but to prevent weeds from growing. Ark is the 2nd largest producer of rice. China being the 1st.
I am not willing to overextend/overuse the ground water or the Memphis Sands. But here is what ticks me off. Catch'em Lake is part of the Agricenter side of Shelby Farms which runs itself independently from the rest of Shelby Farms. That side of Shelby Farms is basically becoming a commerical strip mall. Do not believe me go over there and check it out. They basically can start any business over there as long as it has something to do with the environment  in the broadest sense, such as you can buy decorative rock to put in your yard or business. Shelby Farms Alliance is aware of the problems as is Mayor Wharton and they are trying to get it under control but this is going to be a very hard and long battle part of the reason being that it is going to take some state legislation to change how the Agricenter functions. Most of the businesses in the Agricenter have sweet deals.  There is now being consider the building of another lake for Catch'em Lake/s. Where is the water going to come from and who is going to pay for it.
The watering of golf courses in the city and county does not see to be taking to much of the water beneath us not to mention it is the same water that we drink and there is no conservation program of water use and reuse.
I am trying to have further conversation with Laura Adams since to be honest with you the response i got which i posted does not make me a very happy camper.  If somehow the paved trail or the Tour de Wolf course was going to be let to go unusableness i don't believe the response would have been the same. (I use both the paved and Tourdewolf)
Part of this is the simple political principle of greasing the loudest wheel. And the truth of the matter is we paddlers in and around  Memphis are as quiet as a mouse. We are not very political we would rather spend our time on the water while we got it than to spend some of our time working to preserve and extend our paddling possibilities.
For example with a little bit of action we could have got a play spot on the Wolf if we had spoken up as a group. We should be talking our heads off about what is in the master plan for Shelby Farms or about river access from the Greenway to name a few.
Well I guess i have gone from preaching to meddling. Peace vincent/shamen

[mhoward]

Don't guess my point on my earlier post about Horseshoe Lake came across very well.

My point was that in the email that Vincent got from Laura,
"A groundwater specialist at the University of Memphis was concerned that the
million or so gallons required would impact the shallow aquifer level. "

Seems like they are using that quote as an excuse rather than actually looking into doing something about pumping water.

If they are worried about the cost to run the pump they could do something crazy like drive across Walnut Grove and hijack the windmill that does absolutely nothing and bring it back to the lake and put it to a good use.  Might cost a little chunk of change to get it up and running, but it would pay for itself.

If they were to do this, "The hope is that we can reconnect the slews that once connected all
of the upland lakes and divert the overflow into Patriot Lake."  it might work if it rained. 

I also wonder when the long term plan is supposed to start.  Seems like this long term plan has been a long term plan for so long that they might as well call it something like the plan we talked about years ago but never got around to.

later,
michael

[madapple]

well I decided to see if I could start some squeeking... I emailed one of my former co-workers about the lake. She is very nature and animal concerned (vegan wiccan) so I made sure to include concerns about the fish, geese, ducks, and other critters that call Patriot Lake home, afterall it could not be very good for any of the animals on the lake to have it dry up so much.

so hopefully she will help out the lake press the issue a bit - for all of animals, the fathers teach children to fish, families having picnics on the lake, the young lovers renting paddle boats, the aspiring pirates in the sale boats, and land locked whitewater boaters. It's everyones lake, everyones water - not just Catch'em and the agricenter!

[Bill Perry]

Ditto Michael
That is the same point I was trying to make about Coro Lake and the aquifer.
But correct me or not are we not but a mile or so from a river?
I know it's levels are effected too by the drought but what are a few thousand gallons once in a while to the millions that run down it every day. 
I know too where talking about money that seems to be frivolous to spend on a park lake to paddle in or for ducks that's only of intrest to a few people. BUT, let somebody be able to make a buck or two off it and see what happens then.

I may not have the right answer but I do believe there is one. Again with pressure in the right places by the right people I think we could have that answer.
I just feel like someone is trying to dodge the bullet by giving poor excuses that like the lake don't hold water