Tags >> Corps of Engineers
Jan 21, 2010

1071 Coalition Releases Preliminary Results of Economic Impact Study

1071coalition

According to preliminary results of a Lake Lanier regional economic impact study commissioned by the 1071 Coalition, visitation to the area dropped by nearly 800,000 in-season visitors from 2007 to 2008. It was during this period when lake levels fell 17 feet below full pool, and the fiscal year (the 12-month period ending on September 30) - though hit by high gas prices - was largely unaffected by the recession, according to the study.

"Most of us were not surprised to hear about the 800,000 visitor drop, since we felt its impact with our declining businesses in 2008," said Alex Laidlaw, 1071 Coalition President and Vice President of Westrec Marinas. "However, we are still learning, and anxiously await more data coming from the study that will paint the picture of just what the visitor decline means in terms of not only the economy of our businesses around the lake, but the economy of the region as a whole."


Jan 20, 2010

Lake Lanier Expected To Rise As Flood Watch Is Issued

Zach Winsett
It doesn't appear that the water level will drop anytime soon at Lake Lanier.  The water is replenished just as fast as the Corps can send it downstream.  Lake Lanier is at 1071.09 tonight with rain expected to start by 1am.  One to three inches of rain is expected to fall around the Lake Lanier area.  All I can say is that I hope that Lake Lanier is this high this summer to help drawn visitors back to the lake.  During the drought we knew that the number of visitors to Lake Lanier dropped but we did not know by how much.  The figure released by the 1071 Coalition shows that the number of visitors dropped by 800,000 between 2007 and 2008.  The drought directly affected the businesses around the lake that thrive on a full lake.  Maybe some of this water will not escape Buford Dam through the hands of the Corps.  

Jan 8, 2010

Forsyth County to Hold Town Meeting on Bethel Park

Steve

Forsyth County Commissioner Patrick Bell is holding a town hall meeting Monday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m.to discuss the future of the Bethel Park.

The main topic will be the county's ongoing litigation with the Army Corps of Engineers and the YMCA.  The three groups are disputing will have the right to use and develop the park going forward.


Jan 8, 2010

Lake Lanier Association Supports Recreation as Major Use of Lake Lanier

lakelanierorg
The Lake Lanier Association has filed comments with the Corps of Engineers, supporting recreation as an authorized and important use of Lake Lanier. Below is the main part of the comments and at the bottom are links to download the full documents:

Dec 31, 2009

2009 Was a Great Year For Lake Lanier Water Levels

Zach Winsett

For Lake Lanier, 2009 will be remembered as the year that pulled the lake out of a severe drought and raised the water level back to full pool.  It has been an exciting year for the water level including several occurrences of storms that raised Lake Lanier several feet at a time.  2009's rainy blessings became too much in September with widespread flooding damaging property and taking lives. 

The COE has been trying to lower Lake Lanier to below full pool (which is normal for this time of year).  Today the water level at Lake Lanier has been dropped below full pool at 1070.98.  The COE claims that it needs to drop the lake to 1070 to have room to store future storm runoff without creating erosion problems along the banks of Lake Lanier.  The rain is supposedly going to continue throughout the winter months so don't expect to dry out anytime soon.  


Dec 29, 2009

Corps of Engineers Not to Blame for Cobb County Floods

Steve

Remember all the second-guessing of the Corps of Engineers' actions during the 2009 floods? Lots of people were complaining about how the Corps kept releasing water during the floods, possibly worsening the floods downstream? We covered those complaints thoroughly and so its only fair to tell the other side when it comes out:

An investigation in Vinings has exonerated the Corps at Buford Dam and put the blame on Georgia Power. Apparently the problem was with Georgia Power’s Morgan Falls dam:


Dec 15, 2009

Will Georgia's Governor Get a Deal For Lake Lanier?

Zach Winsett
Today Sonny Perdue will meet with the governors of Alabama and Florida to discuss the water war is continuing to rage with the water in Lake Lanier. The governors are trying to come up with a solution to a 17 year-old disagreement of sharing water from Lake Lanier.
Alabama and Florida want to have the Chattahoochee River below Buford Dam flowing very full for power plants in Alabama and to save the muscle industry in Apalachicola Bay in Florida. Georgia wants to continue to use Lake Lanier at its primary water source for Atlanta. However a judge ruled that Lake Lanier’s primary function is not to provide water for metro Atlanta.
The judge gave Georgia 3 years to come up with another water source for Atlanta. Sonny Perdue has tried to appeal to Congress but with little support, the governor is hoping to work out a deal with Alabama and Florida. We will have to wait and see what results from today’s meeting.  

Today Lake Lanier stands at 1071.94 and dropping. The COE is trying to lower Lake Lanier to 1070 within a couple days primarily for flood control. It seems each time the water gets close to 1070; another cold front pushes through with torrential rain.

Dec 14, 2009

Despite the weekend rain, the COE is lowering Lake Lanier.

Zach Winsett

It was a brutally cold and wet weekend at Lake Lanier.  With temperatures below average for this time of year, it felt like February outside.  Lake Lanier received a little over an inch of rain this weekend and the COE has been battling the rain events to lower Lake Lanier for flood control.  Currently the water level at Lake Lanier is at 1072.11 and falling. 

The Water Contingency Task Force met on Friday to discuss plans for new water sources for Atlanta.  The team outlined three "C's" to determine the goals of the water management strategy.


Nov 26, 2009

COE Lowers The Water Level at Lake Lanier

Zach Winsett

Lake Lanier is dropping right now with the COE racing to lower Lake Lanier to 1070 by December 1st.  Currently the lake level is at 1071.51.  The outflow at Buford Dam is 6792 CFS.  The COE is on target to drop Lake Lanier by 1.51 feet by December 1st.  We'll have to wait and see if it happens.  For now I hope Florida and Alabama enjoy the water. 


Nov 20, 2009

$850 Per Hour to Save Lake Lanier Water for Atlanta

Steve

Outside of the Governor's Mansion, almost everyone whose opinion I've read thinks its a lost cause to try and appeal the judge's decision on water from Lake Lanier. 

Still, according to the A.P. Georgia doesn't have enough money to keep services operating or keep teachers in the classroom, but it can drop $10k per day on this wild-goose-chase:


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