Lake Sidney Lanier

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Lake Sidney Lanier

• Water Supply for Atlanta, Georgia
• Field Photos 11/19/07 by J. Ebert

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Southeast Drought

• The Southeast U.S. is in the midst of one of the
  worst droughts on record
• Approximately 3 million people live in Atlanta
  and its surrounding metropolitan
• These people will run out of water in 79 days!

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Buford Dam 192 Feet High
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Buford Dam Outlet(Bedrock Gneiss)
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Lake Lanier Watershed Comprises northern portion
of the Chattahoochee River Watershed
Lake Lanier has a very low ratio of watershed to
surface area
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Lake Lanier A Multipurpose Lake

• Constructed by US Army Corps of Engineers
• Provides
• Flood protection
• Power production
• Water supply
• Navigation
• Recreation
• Fish and wildlife management

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Monitoring Water Level in Lake Lanier

• 11/19/07 Lake Lanier hits record low level of
  1052.64 feet (just a few hours after this photo)
  lowest level since construction
• Level is about 11 ft. below average and 15 ft.
  below capacity
• Source Atlanta Journal Constitution USACE

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Average and Forecast Lake Levels
Source U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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Monitoring Water Level in Lake Lanier

• Lake Lanier now holds only 42 of its capacity
• Surface area is reduced by 22
• This level represents a 79 day supply for the
  Atlanta metropolitan area
• Source Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Expanded Island in Lake Lanier
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Low Water Level(Dr. Eberts Grandson for Scale)
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Falling Water Marks Low Lake Level
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Boat Launch Currently Useless!
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High and Dry!(This Says It All)