Lake Lanier is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was
created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also
fed by the waters of the Chestatee River. The lake encompasses 38,000 acres or 59 square
miles of water, and 692 miles of shoreline at normal level, a "full summer pool" of 1,071
feet above mean sea level. It was named for poet Sidney Lanier, and was built and is operated
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is patrolled by the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources.
Geography The lake is in Hall, Forsyth, Dawson, Gwinnett,
and Lumpkin counties, split about 60%, 30%, 5%, 4%, and 1% respectively, filling the valley
into numerous small arms and fingers. The former thalweg of the Chestatee and the Chattahoochee
south of it form the county line between Hall and a tiny corner of Gwinnett to the east,
and Dawson and Forsyth to the west. One of the main purposes of the lake is flood
control downstream of the lake, mainly protecting metro Atlanta. There have only been three
major flooding events on the downstream section since the construction of Buford Dam. The
most recent flooding event was in 2013. Reservoir
The lake's original lake and authorized purposes were to provide hydroelectricity, navigation,
flood control and water supply for Atlanta. The $1 billion project was approved, ground
breaking was in 1950 and more than $2 million had been spent by the Corps on preliminary
construction when the House Committee on Appropriations refused to provide more funds in June 1951.
During that summer Atlanta mayor William Hartsfield traveled to Washington numerous times pressing
Senators Richard Russell, Jr. and Walter F. George to restore funding to ensure Atlanta's
water supply during droughts. Hartsfield was back in Washington in 1955 for $11 million
more for the dam, which had a target date of 1956, again stressing the importance of
an adequate water supply for the city. Again, funds were forthcoming and the dam opened
on schedule. Lake Lanier began filling in 1956, and in
1957, 20 miles downstream, Morgan Falls Dam was raised to regulate the flow from Buford
Dam to give Atlanta water during the hours it was needed most. The foresight of the entire
project was confirmed in early fall of 1958 during two solid months of drought which would
have left the Chattahoochee and its tributaries nearly dry, if not for the Buford Dam.
Since the 1990s, the Corps of Engineers, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have all been fighting
for use of the water held in Lake Lanier. Federal law mandates that when a river flows
between two or more states, each state has a right to an equal share of the water. Additionally,
other laws such as the Endangered Species Act require that water be available for threatened
or endangered species that live in or around Chattahoochee River and Apalachicola Bay.
Drought 2007-2009
In June 2006, the USACE revealed that the new lake gauge at the dam, replaced in December
2005, was not properly calibrated, yielding a lake level reading nearly two feet higher
than the actual level. Because of this, nearly twenty-two billion U.S gallons of excess water
was released over and above the already planned excess releases to support both the successful
spawning of gulf sturgeon in the Apalachicola River and to protect several species of mussels
in Apalachicola Bay from excessive saltwater intrusion.
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue said that the Corps had created a "manmade drought", because
most of the state is already experiencing dry conditions. This came at a time when outdoor
water-use restrictions were already being put in place by local governments, because
of enormous water use on the many lawns which have replaced the forests in newer suburban
areas. Mainly because of this incident at the lake, the state then declared a drought
and enacted a ban on outdoor water use from 10AM to 4PM, in addition to the permanent
weekly odd/even address system. Other local counties have imposed further restrictions
or even total bans, based on each water system's conditions. Outdoor watering has since been
banned completely as the state has fallen under the worst drought in its recorded history.
On October 16, 2007, Governor Perdue gave the USACE until the evening of October 17
to come up with a plan for the continued release of water for Florida wildlife. Senator Johnny
Isakson stood before the Georgia General Assembly saying, "The health, safety and welfare of
people are threatened. They are threatened by an act this Congress passed that had no
intention to threaten them." He eventually withdrew his threat to sue the Corps of Engineers,
but the Lake Lanier Association indicated that it will attempt a private legal action.
Governor Perdue's attempts to reach an agreement with Florida over water releases fell through,
leaving a final decision on releases from the lake in the hands of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
On November 22, 2007 the water level was at 1,052.34 feet [1], setting a new record low.
The previous low was 1,052.7 ft, set in December 1981 [2]. The water level as of November 28,
2007 had dropped below the newly set record to 1,051.98 feet and still decreasing at 0.05 ft
a day [3]. One month later, the water level stabilized around a final low of 1,050.79 ft,
recorded December 26, 2007 at Buford Dam, with the level rising or falling daily by
about 0.03 ft, although a foot lower than November levels. The day after Christmas,
the water level began rising from week to week.
Eventually, on February 18, 2008, the water level of Lake Lanier rose back, above the
record-low levels set in November, rising to 1,052.80 ft, even higher than the December
1981 level of 1,052.7 ft, effectively ending the record-low phase of the drought crisis.
A similar drought situation also occurred in late 2008. At the end of the year, the
water level stabilized around a final low of 1,051.00 ft, recorded December 8, 2008
at Buford Dam. That level was only slightly above the 2007 low of 1,050.79 ft from December
26, 2007. However, after rainfall during the winter
of 2008-2009, on March 30, 2009, the climatologist of the state of Georgia, David Stooksbury,
declared the drought over, noting, "soil moisture is near normal, stream flows are near normal.
Small and medium-sized reservoirs are full." Stooksbury continued by noting, "There is
still the 500-pound gorilla sitting in the room and that’s Lanier." In May 2009, the
water level of Lake Lanier rose to exceed 1066 ft, reaching a high of 1,066.71 ft
in mid-June 2009. Yet it did not reach the full summer pool of 1071 ft during mid-2009,
remaining over 4 ft lower. Regardless, the concerns about the health of the lake and
Atlanta's water supply were in full retreat. Due to weeks of heavy rains and flooding in
North Georgia, Lake Lanier reached full pool in mid-October 2009. The record high is 1,077.2
feet set in April 1964. The record-low lake levels had revealed parts
of the lake bottom not seen since the 1950s, when approximately 700 families were moved
from the area to create the lake. An abandoned stretch of Georgia Highway 53 ran along one
edge of new shoreline, and concrete foundations from homes and part of what was once the Gainesville's
Looper Speedway were uncovered. More recent additions to the lake - including discarded
trash, boat batteries and even sunken boats - were discovered, and local efforts to clean
up the lake bottom were organized. Several automobiles, some stolen, and discarded firearms
were also recovered by law enforcement officials.[4] Lawsuits
In July 2009, a federal judge from Minnesota ruled that Congress never authorized Lake
Lanier to be used as a source of the water supply for metro Atlanta. The state was given
three years to stop withdrawing from the lake, unless Congress authorizes it, or the three
states which use the basin come to an agreement. The Atlanta Regional Commission chairman noted
that if enforced, cutting drinking water to 75% of the region would require disaster aid
from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. See also Tri-state water dispute.
Recreation
The lake is popular with boaters, houseboats, jetskiers and others, particularly around
the summer holidays. Over 7.5 million people per year visit the lake, including its marinas
and the Lake Lanier Islands waterpark. The rowing and sprint canoeing events during the
1996 Summer Olympics were held at the lake. It also hosted the canoe sprint World Championships
in 2003 at the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club. One resort hotel sits on the lake: Legacy
Lodge. A second hotel, Pine Isle was recently demolished. Both were sold by CNL Hotels & Resorts,
a hotel investment firm in Florida, to Georgia businessman Virgil Williams. Both assets sit
on a ground lease from the Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority which in turn leases
the land from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Established in 1957, Holiday Marina has become
synonymous with Lake Lanier. Holiday Marina in Buford, Georgia, and Aqualand Marina near
the town of Flowery Branch, are two of the largest freshwater marinas in the world.
Lake Lanier was the site of the 1997 Bilderberg conference.
Every year from mid-November through January, Lake Lanier Islands are decorated with over
6 miles of holiday lights, the largest animated light show in the southeast and one of the
world's largest light shows. Magical Nights of Lights is an animated drive-through display
that ends with a Holiday village, carnival rides, bonfire, Santa Shop, live nativity,
etc. Lake water levels
At the end of 2007, the water level of Lake Lanier became notable, on a daily basis, for
setting record low levels, not seen in over 25 years. By early November, the water level
was dropping a fifth of a foot per day, with the largest drop on November 9 of 0.26 ft
to 1054.08 ft. The dropping water level slowed to 0.05 ft,
as measured on November 17, 2007, after local rains continued and the water flow had been
reduced at Buford Dam. However, water levels continued to decline almost daily during the
month of December 2007.
Further rains during November and December stabilized the water level at a low of 1,050.79 ft
on December 26, 2007, with the water level fluctuating up/down by about 0.03 ft daily.
On December 27, the water level began rising above the record low level, but fluctuating
every few days, as effected by further rain and snow during December and January 2008.
By the end of December 2007, alone, the water level had risen over a half-foot to 1,051.32 ft,
rising over 3 times faster than it had recently dropped, and reversing more than 18 days of
losses within just 5 days. Finally, on February 18, 2008, the water level
of Lake Lanier had risen back, above the record-low levels set in November, rising to 1,052.80 ft,
even higher than the December 1981 level of 1,052.7 ft, effectively reversing and ending
the record-low phase of the drought crisis. As of April 21, 2009, the lake had risen back
to 1063.39 feet. Multiple rain storms further to the south,
along the Chattahoochee River to Apalachicola Bay, brought increased fresh water to the
Florida wildlife in November and December 2007, despite the reduced water flow from
Lake Lanier at Buford Dam. Rainfall along the Chattahoochee River was often greater
than at Lake Lanier, spanning the much longer length of the river.
Metropolitan Atlanta received far above-average rainfall amounts throughout September and
October 2009, and experienced record floods. On October 14, 2009, Lake Lanier had risen
back to above full pool at 1071.01 feet. The record high is 1,077.2 feet, set in April
1964. In 2011 and 2012 the water once again fell
to some of the lowest points on record during the 2007 droughts. In the Spring and Summer
of 2013 the water level came to some of the highest points ever seen due to excessive
amounts of rain and flooding in the north Georgia area.
References
External links "Growth, growth everywhere but not a drop
to drink" News article about the 2007-08 drought Lake Lanier daily water levels: http:water.sam.usace.army.milacf/prob1.txt
Lake Lanier Protection Group Lake Lanier News
Lake Lanier Information Lake Lanier - US Army Corps of Engineers
Lake Lanier Statistics & Historical Data Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lake Lanier Rowing Club Lanier Canoe and Kayak club
Lake Lanier Water Level Information Current Lake Lanier Water Level
[5]