Hickory Log Creek Reservoir: a new approach to sustainable water management

Abstract

The Hickory Log Creek (HLC) Reservoir is the conceptual prototype of a new type of federalnon- federal partnership – possibly the first of its kind in the U.S. – in the development of new sources of municipal water supply. The project is planned to effectively meet future water demand growth while capitalizing on unique opportunities for conjunctive use of water resources and existing infrastructure, listed as follows: • Site location on a small tributary of the Etowah River upstream of Lake Allatoona, a multipurpose reservoir managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) • Site topography offering significant off-channel storage in the confines of a narrow valley • Recent federal water resource development policy initiatives promoting sustainable water development through more efficient and beneficial uses of existing multipurpose reservoirs • Public demand for reliable water supply at minimal economic cost and with minimal environmental impact. From this perspective the HLC Reservoir is not a stand-alone project but an integral component of a two-reservoir system (HLC and Allatoona) conjunctively serving multiple conservation and flood control objectives.