I am of the opinion that the Dusky Tail Darter is a front to distract the public from the real reason the lake won't be raised, THE DAM! There are issues with the dam and I believe this is the reason the lake will not be raised and not this darter. The darter is a scape goat pure and simple. I'll reference and base my opinion on this: The dam was completed in 1951. First signs of seepage and embankment problems were discovered or at least reported 17 years later in 1968. It was likely the seepage problem was already present from day 1 and either was unknown or unreported until 1968. regardless, 1st signs reported in 1968. A grouting project was started in 1968 through 1970 as a temporary fix, now it is most likely that the problem was known before 1968 since the grouting project started almost immediately upon the "discovery" of the problem. in 1970 the grouting was complete and considered fixed. A "long-term" fix was planned and construction of a seepage cut-off wall started in 1975 and was done by 1979. These "fixes" didn't fix anything, the seepage continued and actually increased. Now we have this new fix that will only be temporary as well at a cost of $580 Million. So in my opinion as a geologist, the karst topography will eventually win out. You cannot stop carbonic dissolution of the limestone in this area, the water will find a work around and continue to dissolve and underflow the dam, which will eventually become structurally unsound and in order to prevent catastrophic failure I am of the opinion that a new dam will one day have to be constructed. As I have stated several times, this is my opinion and I honestly hope I'm wrong, I want to see the lake come back up and thrive!