Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. – The water level at Lake Lanier continues to decline as drought conditions persists throughout the southeast.



As of Thursday, Sept. 22, the lake was at about 1062 feet above mean sea level (msl).

That is 8 feet below full pool of 1,071.

As the weekend approaches, the National Weather Service did predict showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm for the Forsyth County area, but the rainfall amounts will be between a quarter and half of an inch, nearly not enough to significantly affect levels at Lake Lanier.

Lower lake levels have caused the Corps to curtail some of its operations.

Permit requests for new private docks and upgrades to existing private docks will not be accepted until the lake level rises above 1064 (msl).

"This is in accordance with the Lake Lanier Low Water Action Plan and is an action we have had to take several times in the past under similar drought conditions.We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but it is important to be able to properly address requests with adequate water to make informed decisions," said Lisa Coghlan, deputy public affairs officer.

The Corps advises boaters to take extra precaution due to lower lake levels.

Boaters should be especially observant for underwater obstructions such as shallow areas, rocks, stumps and trees.

For additional information contact the Corps at 770-945-9531. For daily lake level information call 770-945-1467. Thirty-day lake level forecasts and historical lake level information can be viewed on the Corps water management website http://water.sam.usace.army.mil.

Labels: Lake Lanier, water levels, Water Restrictions

Lake Lanier, already low due to lack of rain, will get even lower, say officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The lake, which provides drinking water to much of the Atlanta area, is currently at 1063.9 feet above sea level, about 7 feet below full pool.

For the next few weeks, engineers will be opening the gates at Buford Dam to send more water downstream, which will further drop the lake level.

"Due to the declining inflows and increased lake evaporation, augmentation from the lakes will be required to maintain minimum flows in the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers unless weather conditions change," said the Corps' E. Patrick Robbins in a press release.

“We expect, if there are no changes in weather patterns, to see a decline in reservoir levels at Lake Lanier, West Point Lake and Lake Walter F. George over the next [few] weeks,” said Lisa Coghlan, Deputy Public Affairs Officer. “There just isn’t enough inflow into the system to maintain required downstream flow levels,” said Robbins.

Robbins warned swimmers and boaters to be extra cautious when using the lake as lower water levels bring potential hazards closer to the surface.

Some boat ramps are closed or partially closed due to low water -- Bald Ridge Marine right lane, Lanier Point, Long Hollow left lane, and River Forks.

Labels: Lake Lanier, lake lanier water, water levels

The Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier Islands are back in three weeks, opening on November 21st. For those of you that haven't been, essentially the Islands deck out their roads in some fairly extravagant Christmas lights and displays. They also have a lot of things on hand for the kids when you've finished driving around:


About the Magical Nights

Rekindle an old tradition or create a new one at Lake Lanier Islands Resort‘s 17th annual Magical Nights of Lights celebration. Known as the world’s largest animated light extravaganza, the seven and a half mile driving tour features giant illuminated characters that are comprised of millions of twinkling and moving lights. After the tour, visit the Holiday Village for amusement rides, pony rides, marshmallow roasting, holiday shopping, and a visit with Santa Claus.


2009 Hours of Operation

November 21 – December 30, 2009, including holidays.

Nightly 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Getting into the Magical Nights

Cars (1-9 passenger capacity)

$40.00 Monday – Thursday excluding holidays and December 21-24 ($33.00 online anytime)

$60.00 Friday – Sunday, holidays and December 21-24 ($53.00 online anytime)

Vans (10-19 passenger capacity)

$90.00 ($83.00 online anytime)

Buses (20+ passenger capacity)

$250.00 ($243.00 online anytime)

What You'll See

Magical Nights of Lights features a new and improved holiday experience in its seven and a half mile long driving tour, along new and improved road configurations, comprised of giant illuminated and animated holiday characters and light displays. Children and adults alike will be dazzled by the festive splendor as they make their way through millions of twinkling lights, including The Twelve Days of Christmas, Santa’s Elves at Work, the North Pole Express, the Animated Sliding Penguin, Jack & The Beanstalk, Jet-Ski For Two, a virtual tunnel through Icicle Bridge and a stroll down Candy Cane Lane.

The annual live nativity scene presented by Blackshear Place Baptist Church, is complete with actors, live animals, a manger and First Century-like stable. The live nativity area features a place for people to stop and reflect, located midway through the Magical Nights of Lights drive.

Magical Nights of Lights Photos
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Brian and Jennifer Vanderhoff
North Fulton County REALTORS
Vanderhoff Real Estate
(770) 888-9269
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Milton, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
North Fulton County, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
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Labels: christmas, Lake Lanier, lake lanier islands, light show

After years of extreme drought, Lake Lanier is finally back to full pool. Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it will lower the lake level in anticipation of more rain.

Jim Farmer has been fishing Lake Lanier for more than a decade. Farmer said that during his time on the lake Tuesday, it hit him that the lake has never looked better.

"The leaves are starting to turn, the lake is full, it's just a nice time to be out here," said Farmer.

It was only a year ago that Lake Lanier looked completely different, a sad symbol of a drought-stricken state.

Now levels at the lake have reached full pool levels of 1071.52 again. The Army Corps of Engineers announced it needs to take action and lower the lake.

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Brian and Jennifer Vanderhoff
North Fulton County REALTORS
Vanderhoff Real Estate
(770) 888-9269
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Milton, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
North Fulton County, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
Forsyth, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
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Labels: Lake Lanier, lake lanier water, lanier water levels

It is the news that people living in North Georgia have been waiting years to hear ... Lake Lanier is full once more.

After several years of not reaching 1071 feet above sea level, or "full pool", Lake Lanier finally reached that level at 9 a.m on Wednesday October 14th.

The lake and its surrounding communities have struggled not only over the last few years, but for around a dozen years. In the early part of this decade the lake rarely acheived full pool. The situation reached a nadir in 2007 and 2008 as a brutal drought gripped North Georgia and the lake flirted with record lows. 12 months ago the lake was 18 feet below its current level which meant that most boat ramps were shut and businesses in the area struggled to attract visitors.

There are still serious issues surrounding the lake's future, including the "Tri-State Water Wars" argument that involved Georgia, Alabama and Florida fighting over the right to use water from Lanier. Today however, the people of North Georgia can celebrate. Their lake is back.
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Brian and Jennifer Vanderhoff
North Fulton County REALTORS
Vanderhoff Real Estate
(770) 888-9269
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Milton, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
North Fulton County, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
Forsyth, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
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Labels: boaters, boating, camp twim lakes, Cumming, full pool, Lake Lanier, lake lanier water, lanier water levels

If you live around Lake Lanier, you know that the last few years have been a rollercoaster ride. However, the recent weeks have been more eventful than ever. Here's a recap:


September 19th: Several days of torrential rain cause Lake Lanier to jump two feet in one weekend.
September 23rd: Over 20 inches of rain recorded in parts of North Georgia.

October 1st: The Corps of Engineers has to fight criticism of its water releases during the flooding.
Today: Lake Lanier stands 1.69 feet below full pool with more rain to come.  We're in sight of the lake's first full pool in over four years.

Lake Lanier Fishing Report



Nothing much has changed on the stripers over the last couple of weeks, except we are starting to see some bigger fish up shallower. We've had boats out on trips everyday the weather has permitted and the fishing has been good most days. This morning inspite of the strong winds and front passing, the stripers bit very well on our boats and they were up shallower. Yesterday, they were deeper and out over the channel.




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Brian and Jennifer Vanderhoff
North Fulton County REALTORS
Vanderhoff Real Estate
(770) 888-9269
---
Milton, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
North Fulton County, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
Forsyth, GA Real Estate, Condos, Homes for Sale
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Labels: Forsyth County, Lake Lanier, lake lanier water

After building the Lake Lanier reservoir in 1960, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helped transform it into something for which it was never intended: the Atlanta region’s main source of drinking water.

Court records show the Corps repeatedly permitted local governments to withdraw water from the federal reservoir, even though Congress didn’t authorize its construction for that purpose. Meanwhile, the region’s population — and its demand for water — grew rapidly to the point where more than 3 million people depend on drinking water from the lake today.

But the fate of the region’s water supply now is in question after a federal judge issued a stinging ruling in the tri-state water rights war this month that says the Corps’ actions were illegal. The judge is giving Congress three years to decide how the reservoir should be used before tightening the spigot at the lake to levels from the mid-1970s, when Atlanta was a fraction of its size.

Critics say the Corps helped push the region into this crisis by giving into local political pressure for drinking water as the area developed and generated more tax revenues. One of those critics compared the Corps and the Atlanta region’s relationship to that of a pusher and an addict.

“Who is responsible, the Corps for facilitating demand or the local water providers for their ever-increasing demands?” said George W. Sherk, who wrote about the reservoir’s legislative history when he was a visiting associate professor at Georgia State University and who now teachers water law at the Colorado School of Mines. “The Corps’ failure to understand that there were limitations on its authority was a factor in creating the problem we have today.”

Brig. Gen. Todd Semonite, who took over command of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division on May 1, was out of town training and not available for comment last week, said his spokesman.

“The Corps acted in good faith,” said Corps spokesman Rob Holland. “Our goal has always been to be even-handed and — insofar as we could — accommodate what people wanted and needed within the law.”

In his ruling in the nearly 20-year-old legal dispute among Georgia, Alabama and Florida, U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson said the Corps should have known better. And he highlighted the Corps’ inconsistent actions.

The Corps, for example, rejected a water supply request from Gwinnett County during the Buford Dam’s construction in 1955, saying the withdrawals could affect the reservoir’s original purposes as authorized by Congress: power generation, flood-control and navigation.

But it entered into contracts in the 1970s and 1980s, allowing Gwinnett County and Cumming to withdraw tens of millions of gallons of water from the lake. The Corps also entered into a contract with the Atlanta Regional Commission in the 1980s, the judge wrote, to release more downstream for drinking water customers in Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton counties and Atlanta.

Then in 2002 — after the tri-state legal battle began — the Corps responded to another Georgia water-supply request, saying it could not grant the request without congressional approval, the judge wrote.

Also, the Corps wrote an operating manual for the reservoir about 50 years ago that does not include water supply among its “major uses,” the judge said.

Erwin Topper, who served as the operations manager for the reservoir and Buford Dam when the contracts were approved in the 1980s, said those decisions were made at a higher level than him.

“Water supply contracts are not negotiated at the local level but — with input from local managers — are finalized and negotiated in the Mobile District Office of the Corps of Engineers,” said Topper, who worked at the reservoir from 1983 to 2004.

Lisa Coghlan, a spokeswoman for the Mobile district office, said the Corps acted believing it had authority under the federal Water Supply Act to permit the withdrawals from the lake.

Magnuson said the Corps doesn’t deserve all the blame for region’s dilemma.

“Too often, state, local and even national government actors do not consider the long-term consequences of their decisions,” Magnuson wrote in his 96-page ruling. “Local governments allow unchecked growth because it increases tax revenue, but these same governments do not sufficiently plan for the resources such unchecked growth will require.”

From the time the reservoir was completed in 1960 to last year, the population in the five counties that depend at least in part on Lake Lanier or the Chattahoochee River for drinking water grew by 2.2 million, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Labels: drinking water, Lake Lanier, lake lanier water

A woman remains in grave condition and on life support after she and a young child nearly drowned in Lake Lanier.

The pair were swimming in the Van Pugh Park south in Hall County on Sunday when they went under.

According to rescuers when the boat pulled up to a sand bar, a 24-year-old woman got out to swim and at one point submerged.

It took crews 12 minutes to locate the victim who was found in eight feet of water.

She was rushed to Northeast Georgia Medical Center where she was listed in critical grave condition and on life support.

A six-year-old boy in the same party also had to saved.

Authorities said he was blue when crews pulled him out of the water.

That child was resuscitated and then taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Eagleston for evaluation.

The names of the victims have not been released nor did rescue workers say what their relationship was -- other than to say they were from the same party.

Labels: Child, drown, drowned, georgia lakes, Lake Lanier, woman

The drought is over in metro Atlanta — three years after it began and more than a year after a dwindling Lake Lanier made national news.

State climatologist David Stooksbury made the declaration Monday.
But keep those rusty sprinklers in the garage. Outdoor watering restrictions will remain indefinitely because Lanier is still recovering and still stands more than 9 feet below full. The lake is the water source for more than 3 million metro Atlantans.

“Soil moisture is near normal, stream flows are near normal. Small and medium-sized reservoirs are full,” Stooksbury said. “But there is still the 500-pound gorilla sitting in the room and that’s Lanier.”

Atlanta is still more than an inch below normal rainfall this year. But this is the first time the drought has loosened the vise-like grip that reignited the water war with Alabama and Florida.

According to state rules, it takes four months of improved conditions to end outdoor watering restrictions, though they have been eased. March counts as the first month, Stooksbury said.

State Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch, who makes the call on watering restrictions, said Monday it will take a lot more rain to pull Lanier out of the hole. She doesn’t expect that to happen this year and may ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Lanier, to release only a minimum amount through the summer.

Labels: Atlanta, Drought, Georgia, Lake Lanier, Water Restrictions

We have a wonderful new listing priced at $373,900 located in the Adam's Landing subdivision in Cumming off 400/Exit 16. This home has just been finished been repainted inside and is ready for new owners! This 5 Bedroom 5 Bath home has a Shake and Stone exterior with inviting front porch, hardwood floors, main floor office, bedroom and full bath. Gorgeous kitchen with Cherry cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The basement also features a second kitchen, media room, full bath and possible 6th bedroom - perfect for a In-Law or Teen Suite. Please visit our Featured Properties section to see pictures of this home or call us at (770) 331-1206 to schedule a viewing.

Labels: 6 bedrooms, adams landing, bishops walk, Cumming, for sale, Georgia, in-law suite, Lake Lanier, new listing

Lake Lanier is gearing up for a busy summer despite its low water level, and here are some things recreational users can expect: deep drop-offs along beaches, underwater hazards and limited parking.

Those boating, fishing or swimming at Lanier are urged to take extra safety precautions this season, say officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"The abnormally dry conditions have produced lower than usual water levels and Lake Lanier is a different lake, and we just want to remind the recreating public to be cautious," said E. Patrick Robbins, Public Affairs Officer, Mobile District.

"The cool lake water looks inviting to swimmers; however, it is much riskier to swim because designated swim areas are high and dry," Robbins said. "The swim beaches are groomed to have a gently sloping surface. There are now sudden, deep drop-offs or submerged obstacles, often much closer to the water's edge than usual." Swimmers are advised to wear life jackets.

Only 12 boat ramps are expected to remain open for the season, which means parking will be at a premium. Boaters and their friends are asked to carpool, or make other arrangements when meeting at the lake.

Boaters can continue to enjoy the lake, but should exercise caution when

boating near the shoreline, and they should also be sure to wear their life jackets.

"Wearing a life jacket can save your life," Robbins said. "It is an extra precaution boaters should take whenever they are enjoying the lake."

Underwater hazards such as shoals, tree stumps, and old road beds are closer to the surface and pose greater danger to boaters and swimmers.

For questions concerning water levels or to report a serious hazard, contact

the Lake Lanier Project Management Office at 770-945-9531or visit the Lake

Lanier Project website at http://lanier.sam.usace.army.mil/

Labels: Lake Lanier, water levels

The Army Corps of Engineers has decided to reduce the flow of water out of Lake Allatoona by 40 percent to 50 percent, according to the general manager of the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority.

The Cobb County Marietta Water authority pulls about 73 million gallons of water each day out of Lake Allatoona. Before the reduction, the authority was within a month of having to lay a mile worth of piping and pumps to be able to continue pumping water. This change may push that decision day until spring.

"It buys us a little more time for our contingency plans for the steps we need to take as the conditions potentially worsen. We are hoping we don't need to," said Glen Page of the Cobb County Marietta Water Authority.

Page said the decision the Corps made Friday is an effort to make sure Allatoona remains a lake. He said officials are committed to making sure the authority can provide water for customers in 2008.

Officially the lake stands at 21 feet below summer pool --or about four feet below it's normal winter pool. Only two of the normal four boat ramps are open, but now authorities say any rains that come should begin to replenish the lake and not simply pass through the dam and southward.

"Hopefully this means the lake will steady for the time being," said Chris Purvis of the Corps of Engineers.

A spokeswoman for the Corps' office in Mobile, Alabama, confirms the reduction but will not say whether the Corps will do the same for Lake Lanier.

Labels: Allatoona, Lake Lanier, Lakes, Water Ban, Water Flow

Gov. Sonny Perdue and other government officials stood on landlocked boat ramps Oct. 20 at Mary Alice Park on Lake Lanier to declare a state of emergency in 85 of Georgia's counties due to the prolonged drought.

Perdue has also asked President Bush to declare a major disaster area in an effort to exempt the state from complying with the water reservoir releases that could cause "catastrophic harm."

"This drought is a natural disaster," Perdue said. "We are experiencing the worst drought in North Georgia's history. On top of that, we are also mired in a frustrating manmade disaster of Federal bureaucracy. The actions of the Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife services are not only irresponsible, but downright dangerous. And Georgia cannot stand for this negligence."

Perdue said more than 3.2 million gallons of water are released daily out of the Georgia reservoirs.

"That's enough to fill three and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools every minute," he said. "Even the consultation periods of changing these policies are just fiddling while Rome burns. Georgia needs action today."

On Oct. 19, Perdue filed an injunction with the Middle District of Florida Federal Court requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to restrict water flows from Lanier and federal reservoirs.

"We need to cut through the tangle of unnecessary bureaucracy to manage our resources so that in the long term all species may have access to clean water," he said.

Perdue said current laws prohibit even heavy rains from helping the situation.

"The sad part is that if we got relieving rains," he said, "we could not save it. These are the silly parts of rules that we need to get around. That's why people have no confidence in government."

Rep. Nathan Deal agreed this was a "serious situation."

"This is a situation we have not confronted in a very long time," he said. "It is important to work with the federal government to find an immediate solution."

Millions of gallons of water have been shipped downstream in an effort to preserve endangered species of mussels. Many government officials said this has to stop.

"Wildlife officials have decided that mussels are more important than our children and grandchildren," said Rep. John Linder. "This is a serious problem."

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle agreed.

"This is not a situation we cannot conserve our way out of," he said. "The idea that individuals would put mussels in front of human consumption is absolutely and utterly ridiculous."

Jonathan Davis, operations manager for the Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Lanier, said the morning before Perdue's declaration that the Corps doesn't have the authority to deviate from the law in its mandated water releases that include protecting endangered species.

"But it does not mean we are doing it blindly and we are not aware of the impacts of that – that's my job and I can assure you I am doing that," he said.

The Corps is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to re-examine its study on endangered mussels and sturgeon downstream in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin, he said.

Perdue compared a lack of action to the situation Louisiana faced when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

"In asking for this disaster declaration, this is exactly what we failed to do in Katrina," he said. "The state of Louisiana was criticized for not asking for a declaration of disaster soon enough so our federal partners could get involved."

While Georgians are being forced to adhere to water restrictions, Perdue said it was wrong to allow Alabama and Florida residents to live without such restrictions.

"No one is sacrificing," he said. "No one is sharing the pain like the people in North Georgia are."

Perdue said Georgians will do what it takes to conserve water.

"Georgians will step up to the plate and do what it takes to conserve our previous resources," he said. "We need our federal partners to do the same and not continue to ship this water downstream when it is needed drastically here."

Carol Couch, Director of the Environmental Protection Division, said drinking water could become very scarce within 80 days.

"This is a natural disaster that did not happen overnight," she said. "This is something that happened slowly. We need the President to declare this as a disaster. It will be a multiple front effort that needs the federal government's help."

If water levels continue to drop, so will the certainty of clean water. Couch said water below a certain level requires further treatment and the quality at that level is unsure.

Lake Lanier will not run dry in just a few months, Davis told members of the Alpharetta Rotary Club, which includes several local elected officials.

Davis said the lake stores water in what is called its normal pool at 1,071 feet. The amount of water down to 1,035 feet is its conservation pool.

Corps experts in Mobile, Ala., who decide what flow of water should be released from the lake, calculated 100 days of water were left as of Oct. 19 before the lake got down to 1,035 feet.

"From 1,035 down to the bottom of the lake is still 100 feet of water," Davis said. "In other words, the lake will not be dry in 100 days."

Perdue said he was "confident" there would be a positive outcome for Georgia in this situation.

"We will emerge from this disaster stronger than before with a solution that will benefit all of Georgia's interests for years to come," he said.

For now, Perdue said Georgia will continue their conservation efforts to preserve water throughout the state.

Labels: Lake Lanier, Water Ban, Water Restrictions

Lake Lanier continues to shrink in level. The water level is now about 15 feet below normal.

Labels: Drought, Lake Lanier, water, Water Ban, Water Restrictions