FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Not enough rain in rivers and streams that feed into Lake Lanier has led to low water levels. On Wednesday, Lake Lanier was down nearly 8 feet below normal full summer pool. Considering the lake supplies drinking water to millions in the metro, officials are worried about the upcoming summer.
"This is the lowest level we've seen for April since the drought of 2008," Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Richard Dunn told Channel 2's Katie Walls.
The only extreme levels of drought in the country are presently in the North Georgia mountains, the same locations that feed Lake Lanier.
Lanier’s levels traditionally peak in April and May, then fall in the summer, during wet and dry years. With the drought forecast to worsen, lake levels this summer will be especially low.
“This is important, I believe, for Metro Atlanta, because over 70 percent of our drinking water supply is dependent upon Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River,” said Director Dunn.
A Level 2 Drought Response has been in place for 12 metro counties since November. That means outdoor landscape watering is only allowed two days a week. Even-numbered homes and those without numbers may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Odd-numbered addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays.
On Wednesday, Chattahoochee River Keeper Jason Ulseth showed Walls the city of Atlanta’s water intake on the Chattahoochee, where the city draws more than 100 million gallons of water every day. If you use city water, chances are it comes from the Chattahoochee.
Ulseth explained that more than 300 million gallons of treated sewage also flows into the river. He wants to make sure that plenty of fresh water from Lake Lanier flows downstream to further dilute it. He pointed out a Cobb County discharge to Walls and said, “That’s just one of many discharges in this river stretch, so it’s critically important that there’s enough clean river water that’s coming down here to mix with the treated sewage to ensure there’s not a negative impact on the river.”
Cox Media Group
