At last week’s meeting of the Crisp County Power Commission, General Manager Steve Rentfrow told members that Crisp Power will soon begin drawing down water levels for Lake Blackshear so that property owners can begin any needed repairs on their docks, piers, seawalls, or other structures.

Rentfrow reminded those in attendance that permits from the CCPC are required before any repair work can get underway. Property owners who plan to undertake any repairs can contact CCPC’s resource manager at 229-273-3820. Visit www.crispcountypower.com/pier-and-dock-permit-program online for more detailed information about the permitting process.

As usual, the drawdown will begin on November 1. Rentfrow said that, due to low lake levels, the drawdown may move relatively slowly during the first couple of days.

“We’re maintaining a minimum flow through the dam,” Rentfrow said. “We actually need some rain pretty badly.”

In other CCPC news, a financial report noted that the commission’s numbers look significantly better compared to the last five years, but fewer sales for irrigation use led to a slight decrease in recent revenues.

Rentfrow also touched on progress made on the power company’s project to remove ash from a six-acre holding pond near the dam. The pond holds residue from the generation of electricity from coal combustion, which Crisp Power no longer uses.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that the pond was a “low hazard” in 2014. Rentfrow pointed out that dry conditions have made the ash removal easier.

Progress is also being made on the power commission’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project, Rentfrow said. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the core element of AMI is smart meters, which provide a number of functions, including measuring customer electricity consumption on 5-, 15-, 30-, or 60-minute intervals; measuring voltage levels; and monitoring the on/off status of electric service. Smart meters communicate these readings to utilities for processing, analysis, and recommunication back to customers for billing, energy feedback, and time-based rates.