Property owners should seek permits for work now

With approximately three weeks left until PowerSouth begins lowering the water level in Point A Lake, the company is reminding property owners who plan to build or repair structures while the lake levels are low that now is the time to get permits to do so.

PowerSouth announced earlier this summer it will lower the lake approximately 22 feet over two weeks’ time to allow for maintenance at the Point A Hydroelectric Dam.

The drawdown is scheduled to begin Sept. 15 and last until mid-December.

Property owners who plan to construct or repair docks, piers, seawalls, boat ramps and other structures during the drawdown are required to obtain a permit by contacting PowerSouth’s Corporate Real Estate Department at (334) 427-3000 or visit www.powersouth.com/point-a-drawdown. Permit approvals could take six weeks or more, so PowerSouth encourages property owners to begin the process as early as possible.

In preparation for the drawdown, PowerSouth will close all public access to the lake on Sept. 15, 2017, including the boat launch at Point A Park, the Point A Handicap Fishing Pier Landing on Boat Landing Road, and the Patsaliga Boat Ramp on Point A Road (Highway 59). Anyone who needs to remove boats from the lake is encouraged to do so prior to Sept. 15. Permitted construction activities may begin after Oct. 4.

Point A, Gantt Lake and Patsaliga Creek are listed as critical habitats for several mussel species. During the drawdown, PowerSouth, in cooperation with multiple state and federal natural resource agencies, will make a concerted effort to protect and conserve these species by relocating certain stranded mussels to Gantt Lake or Patsaliga Creek.

PowerSouth, along with officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Troy University, will also use this opportunity to conduct research on these species.

“Mussel study locations will be clearly marked, and we ask the public to refrain from entering these areas,” said Baynard Ward, PowerSouth Corporate Communications Manager. “In the interest of public safety, we also ask the public not to enter the lakebed, including operating vehicles, fishing and other activities.”

More information about the drawdown, including answers to frequently asked questions, is available on PowerSouth’s website at www.powersouth.com/point-a-drawdown.