Coast Guard issues river warnings | savannahnow.com

The Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Savannah is alerting area mariners to expect significantly higher and faster-moving water on the Savannah River, beginning around Thursday and likely peaking with a 10-foot high tide late Monday.

“With the continuing rains in the upper Savannah River basin, the (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers began last week releasing water from the flood storage reservoirs at Hartwell, Richard Russell and J. Strom Thurmond lakes,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mark Sawyer said Tuesday.

“When that happens, it usually takes about a week for us to feel the effects downstream in Savannah. That means river levels should be noticeably higher by Thursday and could be over the lip of the riverfront at high tide Monday,” Sawyer said.

A swifter-than-usual current also is expected, likely bringing debris from upstream.

“While we don’t expect commercial river traffic to be affected, we wanted to make sure smaller vessels were aware to mind mooring lines and watch for strong currents and floating debris if they venture into the river,” he said.

via Coast Guard issues river warnings | savannahnow.com.