LAKESFrom page 1

Matt Phillips, govern-ment and customer rela-tions manager at the BRA.

“For almost two years we’ve been doing the 1-to-1,” he said, because the drought has kept Possum Kingdom’s sur-face levels well below 992 feet. Current surface levels at the lake are 984.72 feet, about 15 feet below normal.

But, a coalition of concerned citizens in Granbury, banding together as Save Lake Granbury, wish to see the BRA increase the drawdown ratio to almost three times more than its current level.

“For the past five years, several decisions have been made that have completely changed the landscape surrounding Lake Granbury,” the coali-tion’s Facebook page says. “Those decisions have helped the lake lev-els to start reaching his-toric lows in two of the past three summers. For those of you who fre-quent Lake Granbury,

you saw boating, fishing and all recreation come to a complete standstill.”

On its Facebook page the group says the BRA’s closure of a hydroelectric plant in Possum Kingdom five years ago caused the water flow to Lake Granbury to decrease. Without a draw down increase, the group claims, it will continue to see dramatic declines in the lake’s value to its residents.

Lake Granbury, according to the BRA, is at 681.95 feet, about 11 feet below normal.

Countering Save Lake Granbury is the Possum Kingdom Lake Association that drafted a white paper on May 15 to the BRA, asking the agency to reject the Granbury coalition’s

white paper that seeks for increased water draw down.

The Possum Kingdom group’s paper requests “the BRA cease and desist the release of Possum Kingdom Lake water to Lake Granbury for balancing purposes.”

“We have never agreed with efforts to balance [the lakes],” said Jim Lattimore, the association’s president.

He said the group believes it is unfair, especially in a time of drought, to draw down water to balance lake levels, unless there is dire need for resources.

The group has asked the BRA for a meeting to go over their points, he said. The association was not allowed to meet with the BRA at the same time Granbury’s

coalition’s met with them.

Once the association is able to meet with the BRA, they will decide if further action is needed, he said.

“We’ve gotten public comment on both sides,” Phillips said of the draw down fight, “but the [BRA] couldn’t on its own order a change.”

For a change to occur, he said, stakeholders in both Granbury and Possum Kingdom would have to agree to make a change, and the BRA would have to rec-ommend those changes to its board of directors, as it did in 2011. The BRA can’t initiate such a decision on its own.

Last week, Palo Pinto Commissioners approved a resolution that strongly opposes any consideration the BRA might make of a change in the draw down ratio between the lakes.

Palo Pinto County Judge David Nicklas said the county opposed any ratio change because of the value of the lake to residents of Possum Kingdom, as a

source of recreation, and for water supply, which is falling. He said 40 percent of the county’s tax base comes from res-idents in and around Possum Kingdom.

Lower lake levels also decrease property val-ues at the lake, he said.

More draw down would decrease the lake’s all-around value to the county, he said. “Once that water leaves here, it’s gone.”

While a large chunk of the fight on both sides seems concerned with recreational issues and economic impact to lake property, the BRA’s primary concern is water resources, Phillips said.

“These lakes are there for water supply,” he said. Water supply, he added, is essential to provide drinking water as well as electrical power all along the Brazos River basin.

Droughts, he added, have caused lake levels to fall before and lakes have recovered when it rains and the drought passes.

“This isn’t the new normal,” he said of the drought. “It’ll happen.”

LocaL MineraLWeLLsindex/Wednesday,May21,2014ucaLLcLassifiedsat940-327-0838 page2

AreA LAke LeveLsShown are the most recent data on area lake levels as of Tuesday afternoon, according to waterdatafortexas.org:

Lake level (feet above MSL) % capacity +/-

Lake Palo Pinto (853.72 ft.) 21.9% – 13.58Possum Kingdom Lake (984.74 ft.) 61% –15.26Lake Mineral Wells (856.35 ft.) 56.2% –6.65Lake Granbury (681.95 ft.) 50.4% –11.05Lake Bridgeport (813.87 ft.) 41.8% –22.13

PPGHFrom page 1

lot of hard work, but it’s a cool experience. This year, we added some extra fundraisers, and it worked out great.”

“We are very proud that they’ve stepped up to the plate,” Hospital CEO Harris Brooks said. “Our team, which is made up of the staff – it’s not a top-down directive of, ‘Hey, I want you doing this.’ People genuinely care about the

need and the efforts that it helps.”

Since the original “relayer,” Dr. Gordy Klatt, walked and ran for 24 hours in May of 1985, raising $27,000 for the American Cancer Society, RFL has grown into a worldwide effort, having raised some $5 billion through the years.

Each year more than 3.5 million people in more than 5,000 commu-nities in the U.S. and additional communities in 19 other countries participate in RFL.

Former prison employees plead guilty to bribery

By CHRISTIN COYNELone Star News Group

WEATHERFORD – Two former prison employees who worked for the now-closed Mineral Wells Pre-Parole Transfer Facility pleaded guilty to bribery charges ear-lier this month.

According to court records, Carl James Guittard, 36, and Terrie Elaine Glover, 49, were indicted on charges and each received a $1,000 fine, 240 hours of community service and 10 years probation.

Indictments allege at least 10 people offered or conferred money on prepaid debit cards to Guittard, Glover or both, and the two illegally provided tobacco products to inmates in the facility.

A state prosecutor called the bribery investigation extensive due to the number of people involved.

Sixteen former inmates and others were also indicted as part of the bribery and contraband investigation and many cases remained pending Friday in district court.