But plans are in the works to deal with the situation that the region faced last summer due to the extreme drought.

"We've really done about all we could to try to get the reservoir full," Duck River Agency executive director Doug Murphy said Wednesday. "We just didn't get the spring rains that we needed. We're still behind our average (rainfall)."

The level of the lake was at a record low of 852 feet above sea level this winter. The Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) operating guidelines places the summer pool at 875 feet. Heavy rains in late March and early April added around seven more feet to the elevation, but the level is currently holding right under 871 feet.

But more water is now leaving the lake than is flowing in, Murphy said, and he stated that "we're in the pattern that we saw last year."

Murphy said the agency is ready to release a Request For Proposal (RFP) for a comprehensive feasibility study for water supply infrastructure, which would include the concept of raising the storage capacity of Normandy Lake by five feet.

The RFP would cover some of the other concepts such as a pipe to transfer water from Tims Ford Lake "and we're going to add a couple of projects to that," Murphy said of the long term plans.

Murphy added that an interagency task force will develop a plan to address extended drought periods to see how the reservoir could be operated to get the maximum benefit with a minimum of water.

"That hasn't been done before," Murphy said of the drought plan. The task force made up of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife, TVA, Tennessee Wildlife and Resource Agency, and the Duck River Agency.

The goal of the plan is to be able to "get by" with certain flow levels from the dam during these dry periods, while still being able to provide water for all situations and protecting the ecological needs of the Duck River. Data for the plan will be gathered over the next eight to 12 months, Murphy said.

Special operations were put into place earlier this year so that the gauge at the Shelbyville wastewater treatment plant could operate at a target of 80 cubic feet per second (cfs) instead of the previous rate of 120 cfs.

This enabled TVA to reduce the flow from Normandy Dam to a minimum of 40 cfs over the late winter and spring, which contributed to the lake being filled.

"The rains (in March and April) have really helped in all of that, we were fortunate to have those," Murphy said. "However, this week, everything is starting to dry up and flows (into the lake) have slowed down."

The release of water from the dam is set in order to dilute the effluent from wastewater plants in Shelbyville and other facilities further downstream on the Duck River. TVA had to release more water this week from the lake, increasing to 50 cfs, to meet the required target at the Shelbyville sewer plant.

Shelbyville's plant will be in the process of upgrading over the next few years, as will others. On Wednesday, the flow rate from the dam was lowered to 45 cfs.

Murphy said the federal utility is trying to save as much water in the reservoir as possible to get the region through the summer. But the good news is this: If the area goes through another drought like experienced in 2007, there is about a half a foot more water in the lake than last year.

"We can get through our normal operations through sometime in the winter of 2009 with normal operations," Murphy said. "We know we can do that."

On June 1, the dam will go back to normal operations, which mean 155 cfs will flow through the gauge at Shelbyville.

But if the area continues to get a few more rain events, TVA would not be required to release as much water, Murphy said. However, if it quits raining completely like in 2007, TVA would be required to keep the flow at 155 cfs to meet state guidelines.

The Duck River Agency along with TDEC, asked for reductions in the flow from TVA late last year, which was enacted in February. Murphy said that they are prepared to do the same earlier this year, if necessary.

The only thing required would be an environmental impact study, Murphy added.