Lake Lanier has seen its share of rainfall in 2009 and this week was no exception. Lake Lanier regained what the COE released and now the lake level is once again approaching 1072. It seems that every other day Lake Lanier is replenishing itself despite efforts of the COE to lower Lake Lanier to 1070. The main question is where was all of this wet stuff when we needed it most? I now hear people complaining about the rain when this time last year we were praying for rain. Right now we are blessed to have this rainfall...hopefully we won't take it for granted since another dry summer could perhaps be on the way.
The meeting that took place this week between the governors involved in the water war, have decided that now is the time for resolution. Sonny Perdue said after the meeting "We have agreed that frankly the time for a resolution is now and really the time for rhetoric is over". So what does this really mean for Atlanta and is this just a push for Sonny Perdue since his office term is soon ending? What do you think?
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Today Lake Lanier stands at 1071.94 and dropping. The COE is trying to lower Lake Lanier to 1070 within a couple days primarily for flood control. It seems each time the water gets close to 1070; another cold front pushes through with torrential rain. It was a brutally cold and wet weekend at Lake Lanier. With temperatures below average for this time of year, it felt like February outside. Lake Lanier received a little over an inch of rain this weekend and the COE has been battling the rain events to lower Lake Lanier for flood control. Currently the water level at Lake Lanier is at 1072.11 and falling. The Water Contingency Task Force met on Friday to discuss plans for new water sources for Atlanta. The team outlined three "C's" to determine the goals of the water management strategy. 1. Conserve - Repair sources of water loss and stop leaks in the water infrastructure. 2. Capture - Look for ways to build new reservoirs and expanding existing reservoir around Atlanta. 3. Control - Put into motion stricter water conservation and new building technologies to combat water loss. Several methods for capturing water were discussed at the meeting including piping water from Lake Hartwell and also constructing a desalinization plant near Savannah. The plan for piping water from Lake Hartwell (Savannah River Basin) was deemed to costly at $6,000 per million gallons of water produced. Also counties along the Savannah River including Columbia County have stated that removing removing 100 million gallons of water from Lake Hartwell will slow the flow of the Savannah River. Slowing down the Savannah River will strain the ability of the river to handle the wastes that are pumped into the river. Savannah is equally worried about the desalinization plant and pumping water into the underground aquifer for water storage. The treated water is not as clean as the natural water inside the aquifer and forcing the treated water into the aquifer could create environmental problems for coastal residents. For now the task force states that using Lake Lanier is the most viable solution for providing water for Atlanta. |