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dams and electricity



Howdy-

Last night I was eating dinner with my sister. She owns a boat on Lake
Hartwell in Georgia, which was artificially created for both recreation and
electrical energy production. The problem is that, due to drought, the lake
is getting almost no inflow, but electrical demand remains high, so the
level of the lake is falling. It is down 11 ft. from its usual height.

Several groups have proposed pumping water from the lake that is formed
below the dam back up into Lake Hartwell. Why bother doing this? As far as I
can tell, this creates a net loss in energy. Might it have something to do
with differing demands for electricity depending on the time of day?

Marc "Zeke" Kossover