Flooding

Lakes maintain water elevations for drinking water and flood control.

The Ohio River where I worked for 30 years maintained 9' water elevations to move cargo from upper end of the river to the lower end of the river. River depth is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers who in turn hire dredges to remove silt and sand away from the river channels. When I first started working on the Ohio River the dredges moved the silt and sand to the bank where farmers moved the soil to an appropriate area; by removing the silt and sand in this way the rivers were wide and deep. In today's environment the dredged silt and sand is not allowed to leave the river and small islands are created making the river smaller and shallower. The volume of water stored in the Ohio river is at least half of what it was 30 years ago because the sand and silt is only moved to other areas by natural water erosion and silting methods; the earths gravity is always wanting to flatten the earth so it moves silt and sand to low points and banks.

***

By removing the silt from all area lakes in the south, more water can be stored in reservoirs and lakes. Ingram Materials in Paducah Kentucky removes sand and gravel from the river locally. By removing the silt from all area lakes in the south, more water can be stored in reservoirs and lakes. Local county and city lakes can buy or hire dredges to dig their lakes deeper. Environmental law will have to be changed to accommodate the idea of moving the silt and sand to the lake banks. Local area grant money in todays environment is used to bring families to rural areas not to dig their lakes deeper.

What you can do is send your congressman this post about dredging our lakes and rivers. If those lakes and rivers hold more water then the Corps can control the floods better - give it a thought.
Dredging reservoirs (In Kentucky (removing silt to dry land)) makes them deeper creating more water for drinking and flood control; it could make you look smart.