SRA agrees to 168 feet level for Toledo Bend
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

District 9 State Representative Wayne Christian is applauding a decision by the Sabine River Authority of Texas Board of Directors' decision to execute a contract amendment that would halt hydroelectric power generation at the Toledo Bend Project when the reservoir drops to 168 feet mean sea level (msl).

The amendment to the Toledo Bend Project Consolidated Power Sales Agreement would go into effect on May 1, 2007 and would revise the minimum power pool level of the Toledo Bend reservoir for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation from 162.2' msl to 168' msl. The Sabine River Authority, State of Louisiana approved a similar resolution in their April 26 board meeting.

"I applaud both of these resolutions and am pleased that there has been forward movement on this issue that has languished for too many years," Christian said. "But, even though there is movement, and both sides have negotiated, I want to caution the people of District 9 that we do not yet have a signed agreement between Entergy and SRA."

According to an SRA press release, the electric utility companies are currently reviewing the contract amendment. A presentation of the proposed contract amendment was made at the Louisiana Public Service Commission's meeting held last week in Baton Rouge, LA.

In March of this year, the SRA-TX Board by unanimous vote directed the SRA-TX staff to work with SRALA to develop and negotiate a revision to the current contract between SRA-TX and SRA-LA (the Authorities) and the electric utility companies. The electric utility companies, which include Central Louisiana Electric Company (CLECO), Entergy Texas and Entergy Louisiana (the Companies), agreed to amend the existing contract provided the Authorities agree to pay the difference for any replacement power that the Companies would have to purchase for power not produced by the Toledo Bend generating station when the reservoir falls below a level of 168' msl. SRA-TX and SRA-LA have agreed to these terms.

Christian said resolving the Toledo Bend Lake level issue has been a top priority for him during this term.

"I have made it one of my top two priorities during this legislative session to finally have a permanent solution to this problem," Christian said. "I specifically requested, and gave up a committee chairmanship to obtain, a spot on the Regulated Industries Committee of the Texas House to address this issue. I have used my position as Vice Chairman of this committee to move the discussions forward between SRA and Entergy. We have made real progress in a relatively short amount of time, and I believe that we are almost to an agreement, but we are not there yet.

"While I believe that an agreement is imminent, to assume that an agreement will happen with out further work would not be wise," Christian said. "I continue to work with SRA and Entergy and communicate with them both on a regular basis. They have no doubt of my commitment to resolving this issue and that I will continue to bring pressure on all parties to reach an agreement."

Exceptions to the to the revised minimum power pool level will only be in the event that (1) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requires a reduction in the water level for purposes of inspecting or repairing the dam, (2) an insufficient supply of electric power to the Companies' firm or noninterruptible power users will result, (3) minimum downstream flow requirements are not met, or (4) there is not adequate water flow to deter saltwater encroachment. In addition to the exceptions noted above, the reservoir level may also fall below the 168' msl level due to normal evaporation and inadequate rainfall.

"The Sabine River Authority of Texas values the recreational opportunities that Toledo Bend offers to the area," stated SRA-TX General Manager Jerry Clark. "The need to balance these opportunities with water needed to produce 65,700 mwh of power was the real issue.

"Coming up with the solution that would provide a win-win for everyone was a challenge but we are pleased that it appears it is almost done," stated Clark. "The citizens of the Toledo Bend area were also instrumental in the success of this project."

Created by the Legislature in 1949, the Sabine River Authority is a quasi-state agency of the State of Texas.