The only change in water flows that the power project has caused so far ended up being a boon for rafting. During the 1999 season the Corps agreed to completely drain the lake so that the power company could install flow instrumentation in the tunnel. This was a stroke of luck for rafters because 1999 was such a drought year and lowering the lake in such an extreme manner gave us an extra 33,000 acre feet of water. This extra water allowed us to have a normal season. Fortunately we got the water but the Corps never drained the lake that low. Even better – the lake is scheduled for its 10 year draining for inspection of the dam structure in the year 2000. That means that if 2000 is another drought year we will get extra water again.
Many rafters question the difference in flows each year and they sometimes attributed reductions in flow to the power project. As the preceding paragraph shows, the only change in flows caused by the project was for the better. Water flow reductions are due to lack of rain events or to help control flooding downstream. Water may also be reduced if the Meadow River (the major tributary which joins the Gauley at the top of Lost Paddle Rapids) is high. We refer to this as a "reverse pulse". The Corps will open the discharge to a very high level during the night and then reduce the daytime flow to such a level that the combined flow of the Gauley and Meadow is raftable. During these rare times the first few miles will be low but the river after the Meadow will be at its maximum commercially raftable level.
Some rafters have come to expect about 2800 cfs as a "normal" level. We have gotten that level occasionally but the "true normal" release is about 2450 cfs. The extra 350 cfs is a bonus that the Corps gives us if they have plenty of water in the lake. During dry years the corps may reduce the discharge to 1900 cfs. Fortunately our fleet of 14-foot boats handles all these levels exceptionally well. Discharges will vary from week to week and from day to day during the weekend
Now the bad news. It is possible that, several years from now, the power company may convince the Corps to pulse the water during the rest of the year in order to increase power production. This may affect the Summer Gauley. A pulse is necessary in the Summer for power generation because a minimum flow must be provided for the turbines to turn. If the pulse is in the morning, the rafting companies will support the pulse; but in general, the pulse for a peak power hydro project is usually in the afternoon when people are coming home from work and turning on air conditioners. An afternoon pulse will be unusable for rafting on both the Upper and Lower Gauley. The power company has said it doesn’t make any difference to them when a pulse would occur because the major power companies on the grid are required to pay the same amount no matter when the power is generated. Our reading of the fine print has not revealed anything prohibiting a bonus if the power is generated in the afternoon. The Corps and the power company both deny any plans to pulse the water and both say they are restricted to "run of the river" or natural flow, but there are too many dollars at stake for us to believe that the pulse will never happen. So it is the Summer flow, not the Fall season, that may change due to the project.
