In
The News - Low Lake Levels
West
Point Lake:
"Boat
Launching Ramps: Many of the boat launching ramps at the
reservoir are becoming unusable because of the low water level.
Boat ramps at the following six parks (click
here for Map) have been extended to
an elevation of 617 feet above mean sea level. These extended boat
launching lanes are marked on the ground, and they will be
maintained to keep them free of silt and obstructions as the water
level declines, in order to provide continued access to the lake."
Army Corps of Engineers
"West
Point Lake and all other Corps lakes on the Chattahoochee
are at extremely low levels with little hope for a return to full
pools anytime soon. While there is no doubt West Georgia has
experienced one of the most prolonged periods of drought in recent
history, the greatest challenge facing these lakes is the Interim
Operating Plan (IOP) imposed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to implement it."
West Point Lake Coalition
Allatoona:
"As
the lake levels go down, the intake points are closer to the
surface, where concentrations of organic matter are highest. And as
the point approaches the lake bottom, the treatment plant begins to
pull in more sediment.
Over the summer, record algae blooms at Allatoona and dense algae
growth on Lanier, coinciding with the record-setting drought,
increased the concentrations of organic carbon in the water.
High concentrations of organic carbons can present a health hazard
because they react adversely with chlorine, one of the chemicals
used to disinfect the water."
AJC
Lake Lanier:
"...municipalities are
scrambling to draw out that water. Cumming has had to extend its
intake lines farther into the lake, and may have to move their pumps
farther out, as well. Gainesville officials say their intakes, which
are vertical, will be able to draw out water at much lower levels.
...various scenarios show that there is 450 days of water before the
lake would be dry. A report published prior to the news conference
indicated state and federal officials agreed the lake had 79 days of
conservation storage left."
Mark Williams, chief ranger for the corps at Buford Dam
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