The substantial amount of rain has increased the water level at Lake Lanier by 3.36 inches as of 6AM this morning. This is very likely enough to postpone the record low until the beginning of January. The rain continues to fall across the area and we expect to see the water level to continue to increase. Currently the lake stands at 1051.3

Someone is betting that Lake Lanier will have water by August 2010 for the Forest Wood Cup fishing tournament. Lake Lanier is very close to a new low record and someone has planned Lake Lanier to host the country’s largest fishing tournament! Sonny Perdue is excited that the new “mega-ramps” that are being constructed at Lake Lanier for the “Go Fish” campaign, will serve the tournament. I sure hope these “mega-ramps” are designed for extremely low lake levels meaning 30-50 feet below full pool! Can you imagine one of those expensive Ranger boats running 60 mph and hitting a patch of dirt? Maybe Sonny Perdue should plan to have a 4-wheeler rally on the dry lake bed in 2010 instead of a fishing tournament. There might even be a few mud holes left to make things a little dirty.The lake has risen one foot this week. It now stands at 1052.09 but is it enough to put off the new low record this winter?

Northeast Georgia is home to the Lake Lanier basin. The basin has been suffering a severe drought for the past several years causing Lake Lanier’s water level to drop. Now it is time for residents around in northeast Georgia to get ready for some torrential rainfall. Yes you read that last sentence right. A flood watch has been issued for the area that feeds into Lake Lanier! A projected 4-5 inches of rainfall is expected to fall tonight. Most of this water will runoff and drain through the Lake Lanier basin and other drought stricken areas. You can track the level of the lake by clicking on the “current water level” button on the left menu. All of the recent rains are helping Lake Lanier. Every little bit helps as the waters continue to rise. But, are the rains enough to aid local businesses around the lake? Local businesses that depend on Lake Lanier have suffered major losses due to the low lake level and the hard economic times we are facing. As recreation at Lake Lanier dries up there are fewer customers for restaurants, marinas, and other local businesses. Many of these businesses are small and face an uncertain future. The water level is not the only endangered thing at Lake Lanier.

Lake Lanier is getting a nice boost. The lake has been raising an average of 1 inch per hour. It is amazing that a lake the size of Lake Lanier is seeing a rise at this rate. We need this rain to continue to fall to see a dramatic increase in the overall lake level. I do not want to down play the rain we are seeing but it is going to take MORE. The media is really overplaying the rainfall and making it seem as if the lakes are filling up and recovering out of the drought. This is far from the truth as Lake Lanier currently stands at 18 feet below full pool. I will continue to monitor the lake level and notify you of any changes.

Lake Lanier is holding steady at 1056 feet. The rain and sleet that occurred over the weekend contributed to a .5 inch increase across the lake. Any rise of any size is good news for Lake Lanier. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a Georgia petition to allow more water to flow from Lake Lanier to Atlanta. Georgia has held a secret agreement with the Corps of Engineers to allow more water to feed ever-growing metro Atlanta. There is potential for the water war to expand to other reservoirs and rivers including Lake Allatoona. The water war is just beginning and could force Atlanta to find other sources of water.