The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, will hold five public scoping meetings during October as part of its review and update of the Water Control Manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin. The public is invited to attend the scoping meetings which will provide information on the Manual update process. Attendees will have the opportunity to give their feedback on the issues and concerns regarding the process. The meetings will be set up in an open-house format allowing attendees to review specific basin information.
The meeting for our area will be held on October 29 from 5 p.m.—8 p.m. at Georgia Mountains Center, 301 Main Street, SW, Gainesville, GA 30501 (770-534-8420).
The Water Control Manual provides guidance for the management of federal reservoirs in the same river system and will include water release guidelines for Lake Lanier. The Corps wrote the last ACF Water Control Manual almost fifty years ago at a time when the demands on the system were far less than today. As you know, Lake Lanier provides the major water storage for the entire system. Downstream needs include water supply for municipalities, industry and agriculture, hydropower dams and power plants in the entire basin.
This meeting is your opportunity to record your views on management of Lake Lanier with the Corps of Engineers and show the Corps how important Lake Lanier is to you. Attendees will be able to submit their comments at a computer station, by talking to a court reporter or by submitting prepared written comments.
- Please include the following significant areas in your comments:
- Lake Lanier should not be drawn down for mussels and other endangered species in the Apalachicola River;
- During the rainy season, the Corps should allow Lake Lanier to reach full pool no later than June 1
- Management triggers must be in place for Lake Lanier withdrawals during times of drought;
- Raise Lake Lanier’s full pool from 1071 ft above sea level to 1073 ft, thereby adding an additional 26 billion gallons of water to the lake.
We look forward to seeing all our members at the meeting. Let your friends and neighbors on the lake know how important this meeting is and ask them to attend.
Tags: ACF, Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin, army corps of engineers, lake lanier, lake lanier association, LLA
