By Melissa Stiers for Georgia Public Broadcasting

ATLANTA  —  The state senate passed a budget Wednesday that includes two million dollars to study raising the water level of Lake Lanier.

Republican Senator Butch Miller is from Gainesville where Lake Lanier sits. He says raising the pool two feet would help the region’s water needs.

Lake Lanier Association volunteers will be at the Gainesville Marina Demo Days Boat Show of new and pre-owned boats this Saturday, March 26, 2011. While the show hours will be 10AM-5PM Saturday and 12PM-5PM Sunday, LLA volunteers will be at the show this Saturday from 12PM-2PM only. There is a free cookout from 12PM-2PM each day of the show.

Plan now for a fun day of golf at the beautiful new Legacy on Lanier golf course. Enjoy stunning views of Lake Lanier and play a course designed to appeal to golfers of all levels. Your support of this tournament will support the Lake Lanier Association in fulfilling it’s mandate of protecting the lake through it’s programs of education, action and advocacy. Thank you for your support. All dues and donations are tax deductible under IRS 501 (c) (3) not for profit tax code, to the extent of the law. The Lake Lanier Association’s 9th Annual Golf Tournament continues the tradition begun by our board member, Jaime Baray, who is always in our hearts and thoughts.

Just a quick reminder, the Lake Lanier Association Meet & Greet social event is scheduled for tomorrow night, Saturday, February 26th at 7:00PM at the Coo Coo's Nest restaurant in Cumming. The Coo Coo's Nest is located at 1920 Freedom Parkway, Cumming, GA 30041 at the corner of Freedom Parkway and Pilgrim Mill Roads. We will be gathered in the lower level bar area.

You may have seen the recent articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Gainesville Times regarding the Association's campaign to raise the level of Lake Lanier by 2 feet. Raising Lanier not only can provide a deeper and more resilient source of water for North Georgia, it can be part of an overall solution in the Water Wars. This is a renewed push for a solution we have been working on since 2007. Given the impact lake levels have on property values and recreation, we will continue to focus our attention on practical solutions to the Water Wars that protect the lake for everyone. For more details, watch for our next newsletter.

The report clearly documents the significant importance of Lake Lanier to the economy of the counties surrounding the lake as well as the entire Metro Atlanta Region. Equally important, it documents the economic impact of significant drawdowns to Lake Lanier as occurred during the drought of 2006 - 2008.

The 1071 Coalition of Lake Lanier will announce the results of its economic impact study at a public meeting on Tuesday, December 7. The meeting will be held at Legacy Lodge at Lake Lanier Islands Resort, starting at 7 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.

"The numbers from the study show the economic values lost in 2008, when the lake was at historic lows," said Alex Laidlaw, president of the 1071 Coalition. "Attendees to the meeting will find that the impact was even greater than we anticipated as we present the full findings of the report."

The Parade of Lights and Taste of the Lake event is taking place at Aqualand Marina on December 4th. The event is presented by the Maritime Foundation. There will be food, music, raffle prizes, kids games, and more. The Lake Lanier Association will have a table at the event so please stop by and say hello if you are there! To see the schedule of events and more information, visit the website at: http://www.lanierparadeoflights.org/

Shore Sweep 2010 is this Saturday, September 25th! We still need volunteers to help clean our beautiful lake. Please consider spending a few hours on Saturday helping us improve Lake Lanier.