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Membership Drive Kick-off December 9, 2008

• Join Us

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Will You Fight for Our Water?

• Whiskey is for drinking
• water is for fighting
• -- Mark Twain

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• Sam Olens
• Chairman, Atlanta Regional Commission
• Chairman, Cobb County Board of Commissioners

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THE EFFECT

• 3 million people and thousands of businesses
  depend on Lake Lanier for water supply. Many more
  depend on the lake for recreation and their
  livelihoods.
• In December of 2007, Lake Lanier fell to a
  historic low of 1050.79 msl.
• Currently at 1051 and the level may hit a record
  low by the end of the year.

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Lanier Remains at Critically Low Level
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Impacts to Metro North Georgia

• Landscapers
• Recreation and safety
• Water systems lost revenue
• Water Supply and Water Quality Concerns

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THE CAUSE NOT ATLANTAS GROWTH

• What is the cause?

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Management Operations Lowered Lanier

• May to November 2007
• 100 of natural unimpaired inflow above W.F.
  George plus 75 of water from Corps reservoir
  storage went downstream
• Releases to Apalachicola were almost 220 of
  natural unimpaired flow of river
• From October to November 2007, releases were 7
  times greater than inflow. Lanier fell 7 feet in
  two months. The water released could have
  supplied Metro Atlantas needs for over a year.

THE CAUSE
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Opportunities for Change

• Corps Water Control Plan Update
• Stakeholder process with neutral broker
• National Research Council study
• 1071 Coalition

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SO HOW DO WE REVERSE THESE PRACTICES?

• FORM AN ADVOCACY GROUP

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• Grier Todd
• President, 1071 Coalition Inc.
• COO, Lake Lanier Islands Resort

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ABOUT 1071 COALITION

• Formed in November 2008
• Application made to IRS for 501 c3 status, making
  contributions tax deductible.
• 15 Member Board
• Meets monthly open to the public.
• Contributions support programs and studies.
• Low overhead No office. One administrative
  staff.
• Expected life About four years.

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MISSION STATEMENT

• Mission Statement 1071 Coalition Inc.
• A non-profit organization comprised of citizens,
  civic groups, businesses and other entities
  dedicated to maintaining water levels in Lake
  Sidney Lanier that sustain water supply,
  recreation, and economic prosperity through the
  advocacy of appropriate, science-based water
  releases necessary for the ACF River Basin.

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WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE A COMMUNITY ADVOCACY
GROUP?

• Long term
• Influence the Water Control Plan
• Short term
• Facilitate and support state efforts to reduce
  flows from Buford Dam
• Urge study of government assumptions and other
  crucial issues that impact water releases
• Bolster Georgias position in the public
  relations wars

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HOW WILL 1071 COMPLEMENT LLAS MISSION?

• The 1071 Coalition is not a replacement to Lake
  Lanier Association.
• The Lake Lanier Association has been fighting to
  preserve Lake Lanier since 1966 through a variety
  of missions and programs - everything from
  beautification to water quality.
• LLA will continue its programs for decades. The
  1071 Coalition is here for a finite period of
  three to four years for one purpose to maintain
  healthy water levels in Lanier through government
  advocacy and representation in the water control
  plan.
• The Lake Lanier Association has been the sole
  advocate for Lake Lanier long enough. Winning
  this battle will take both of our sustained
  efforts. By working cooperatively with the
  Association, we have a better chance of achieving
  our mutual goals.

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INFLUENCE THE WATER CONTROL PLAN

• Recent practices will carry over into the water
  control plan if we do not influence the drafting
  of the plan.
• The Corps has effectively abandoned a storage
  management goal in place for 50 years that
  encourages a full reservoir by June 1 of each
  year.
• The water control plan needs to maximize the
  ability of the Lake to refill to provide a
  cushion in times of drought, which have become
  much more frequent and severe in recent years.
• The current RIOP could form the basis of the
  water control plan.

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• It is appropriate to use Lanier to balance other
  lakes, but not to bring them to their
  conservation pool early as their levels rise
  between February and June
• Reservoirs should refill in the spring of each
  year when flows are naturally high. The IOP
  discourages storage during this period.
• We need a new management plan that protects all
  stakeholders in the basin including the 3.5
  million people who rely on Lake Lanier for water
  supply.
• We also need an objective analysis of the issues
  so that we can explore other solutions to issues
  that cannot be solved through reservoir
  operations.

INFLUENCE THE WATER CONTROL PLAN
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PUBLIC RELATIONS SUPPORT

• Georgia needs a community advocacy organization
  to counter the public relations from Florida.
• Downstream communities are actively seeking to
  keep basin lakes full at the expense of Lanier
  and have started similar groups.
• The economic impact of Lanier needs to be known
  and the data needs to be used to bolster our
  position. Florida often cites impacts to the
  fishing industry.

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TECHNICAL STUDY Economic Impact of Lanier

• Commission an economic impact study by Dr. Bruce
  Seaman of Georgia State. Estimated cost - 200k.
• Criteria to be included
• Recreation/tourism hospitality
• Retail service sector
• Regional water supply value
• Property values
• Impact of low levels on all of the above
• Construction
• Urban Agriculture Industry (landscaping)

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TECHNICAL STUDY Endangered Species

• Questions to be addressed
• Can any of the endangered species be de-listed
  ?
• The USFS itself documented an estimated 233,000
  fat three ridge mussels in its Biological
  Opinion.
• How much flow is really needed for the endangered
  species?
• The USFS noted that the sturgeon spawned in 2005
  and 2006 by using higher portions of rock in
  higher flows, and lower portions of rock in lower
  flows. What do they really need?
• Mussels evolved and thrived through droughts and
  fluctuations in water flow for centuries, long
  before dams. Artificially high flows condition
  the mussels away from deeper portions of the
  river, which may be more harmful when flows fall.
  
• If the species are being impacted, how much of
  impact is caused by scouring at Woodruff Dam?
• How much of the impact is caused by invader
  species, such as the Flathead Catfish?

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TECHNICAL STUDY Headworks at Woodruff Dam

• Questions to be addressed
• Does Woodruff Dam truly need 5,000 cfs to
  maintain its integrity?
• What alternatives or modifications can be
  considered?

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TECHNICAL STUDY Water Management in Florida

• Other Issues to be analyzed
• Sikes Cut has increased the salinity of
  Apalachicola Bay and has harmed the fishing
  industry.

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TECHNICAL STUDY Water Management in Florida

• Other Issues to be analyzed
• River Channel Degradation Dredging and scour
  have lowered the channel of the Apalachicola
  River, which reduces spawning habitat.
  Floodplains, used for spawning, dry out if they
  become disconnected by scouring of the channel
  bottom.
• Chipola Cutoff this manmade cutoff is diverting
  a large part of the flow of the Apalachicola
  River, which has led to mussel die-off.

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TECHNICAL STUDY ACF in General

• Other Issues to be analyzed
• Encourage all users to match metro-Atlanta
  conservation results.
• Support the National Academy of Sciences Study of
  the ACF to develop data for informed decisions
  regarding water allocations and minimum flows.
• There have been enormous changes in water demands
  since development of the original water control
  plan.

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BUDGET

• Three Year Total Budget
• 700k
• Economic Impact Study 200k
• Public Relations and Administrative 225k
• Government Relations Support - 60k
• Technical Experts 175k
• Legal Support 40k

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