Lake Sydney Lanier Northeast Georgia Chris McCurdy & Andrea D. Roche

Background Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s, Lake Lanier is a multi-purpose lake that provides for flood protection, power production, water supply, navigation, recreation and fish and wildlife management. 38,000-acres of surface water Lake Lanier is one of 464 lakes in 43 states constructed and operated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. It has won the best operated lake of the year award in 1990, 1997 and Over 7.5 million people a year choose to visit Lanier. Over 692 miles of shoreline

Multi-Purpose Q. Why was Lanier built? A. “Lake Sidney Lanier and Buford Dam were built for the benefit of the public. This facility works to provide electric power, water, flood protection, and navigation while providing recreational opportunities to millions of users, as well as a sanctuary for fish, animal, and plant life.” --US Army of Corps Engineers

Lake Lanier Georgia Statistics Last Updated on 10/16/2006 at 9:05 AM 6:00 AM Pool Level MSL (down 1.08" since yesterday) Normal Pool Level MSL Inflow CFS MSL = Mean Sea Level Outflow CFS CFS = Cubic Feet per Second Rainfall (6AM-6AM) 0 Inches Why is it low? The Corps did make a mistake when replacing the gage valves in the dam system, but they noticed that mistake soon and the lake only dropped 1.9 feet because of it. There is a drought in Georgia this year. The Mussel Problem

The Muscle Problem: In May and June of 2006, the US Army Corps of Engineers was ordered by Judge Bowdre (District Judge Karon O. Bowdre of Birmingham, Ala.) to release additional waters for sufficient flow in the Apalachicola River. Two rare types of the shelled animals - fat three-ridge mussels and purple bankclimber mussels - have died by the hundreds in the Apalachicola River in recent months since the Corps slowed the amount of water flowing into Florida. This has allowed the water to keep flowing out of the Buford Dam at a faster pace than the Chattahoochee River is flowing in to Lake Lanier. The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Fight has been going on between Florida, Georgia, and Alabama since Alabama and Georgia want water for future growth while Florida wants water for fish and wildlife along the Apalachicola River and the seafood industry at Apalachicola Bay.

ECONOMIC VALUE OF WATER MUST BE EVALUATED BEFORE RELEASE DECISIONS ARE IMPLEMENTED. ECONOM IC IMPACT OF LAKE LANIER IS IN EXCESS OF $5 BILLION ANNUALLY AS DETERMINED BY A STUDY DONE BY THE MARINE TRADE ASSOCIATION OF METRO ATLANTA. LAKE LANIER PROVIES MORE OF AN ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION TO GEORGIA THAN THE OYSTER INDUSTRY DOES TO FLORIDA. --Lake Lanier Association Meeting

With Lake Levels Low: Real Estate sales are down, so people depending on selling houses to live are in a bind Economy of lake stores and marinas have dropped, if they haven’t completely closed I have personally seen many more single-boat accidents: People running ashore People hitting unmarked sandbars Boat Ramps and Camping Grounds have been closed this past season Personal Wells/Neighborhood Wells are no longer working Water Shortages for everyone depending on Lake Lanier’s Reserve water for living (this means you)

What questions does this raise? Which is more important, human well being and drinking water and recreational facilities or an “endangered species” that Florida wants to harvest? Both are for the growth of respective local economies? Should we give some more water to Florida, even if we are all in a drought? Are the government policies, over-harvesting, or the drought killing the species?

Resources: US Army Corps of Engineers - News paper articles: _id=15928&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2 Governor Sonny Perdue’s Press Release on 8 August 2006: Images came from Andrea’s Personal collection or Google Images