Logan Martin Lake could be at full pool a month early, in mid-April instead of mid-May. Officials are predicting the area is headed into a dryer than normal spring and summer and because of this Alabama Power asked the Army Corps of Engineers for an earlier fill.

“Every lake is different; which ones are spilling and which have variances,” Alabama Power spokeswoman Gina Warren said. “We have a license with the Federal Energy Regulation Commission to operate and manage our reservoirs and they set the full pool levels for the winter and summer.” In the winter, Logan Martin stands at 460 feet above sea level and in the summer Alabama Power has the ability to raise it to 465 feet above sea level. “Back in February they were still predicting we would be in a drought and given the conditions of the lakes and the land we asked the Army Corps of Engineers if we could have an advance to raise our levels.” Warren said.

The Army granted Alabama Power a variance that allowed them to capture rainfall and hold at 462 feet above sea level during the winter months as well as allowing the early transition to the 465-foot summer pool level in April.

This year’s solid rains have allowed Alabama Power go ahead with these plans and add the two extra feet before going to summer levels. The National Weather Service is predicting four inches of rain from the middle of this week through the weekend, providing more saturation before the supposed dusty summer. Warren said they would more than likely have to release some water to keep the desired level, and according to officials, no flooding is expected along the Coosa River due to these recent rains. “We have a small department of hydro engineers that manage the reservoirs to best position ourselves to have the flexibility to keep the desired levels we want. If we do have this drought, we’re in the best position to minimize the impact,” Warren said. “By going to the corps and asking for variance, it gave us the flexibility needed to manage the reservoir. We’re already not in the best position with a couple of dry years lately, plus the dry spring and summer prediction this year, so our folks came up with a plan and went to the corps.”