Lake Lanier Association Call to Action

Dear List Members,

Please write to the Corps in support of the Georgia EPD’s request to hold more water in Lake Lanier.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has sent a letter to the Mobile office of the Corps of Engineers requesting the Corps reduce the minimum amount of flow in the Chattahoochee River at Peachtree Creek in Atlanta by 13% between November 1, 2008 and April 30, 2009.  This will reduce this flow from 485 million gallons a day (MGD) to 420 MGD, thereby leaving an additional 11.7 billion gallons of water in Lake Lanier.

The EPD letter requests this action to conserve needed storage in Lake Lanier and states that its modeling has shown that water quality at Peachtree Creek was not adversely affected when the flow was reduced between March and May 2008.
The Corps of Engineers is reviewing this request and is asking for stakeholder comments to be received by October 27 by submitting its online form

You may also submit your comments to

cesam-pd-ea@usace.army.mil

or send a letter to the following address:

Colonel Byron G. Jorns, District Commander
Mobile District, USACE
Attn: CESAM-DE
P. O Box 2288
Mobile, AL  36628-0001

The Corps’ press release may be read at

http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/docs/08-53.pdf

Vicki Barnhorst
The Lake Lanier Association

Lake Lanier Associations Upcoming Shore Sweep & Corps Meeting

Dear List Members,

Shore Sweep

A reminder that the 20th Annual Shore Sweep is this Saturday, September 27.  We are looking for two more site volunteers for the south end of the lake.  If you are interested in helping, please call the office as soon as possible at 770-503-7757.  All the information on the various sites and the dropoff locations for large items are on our Web site

The Lake Lanier Association urges all volunteers to be mindful of the low lake level and suggests that volunteers stay on the dry areas of the shoreline.  All small children and non-swimmers should stay away from the water’s edge because of sudden steep dropoffs, and the Lake Lanier Association strongly recommends that small children wear lifejackets.    Please read additional safety concerns.

Remember to bring your old T-shirts to the party for your contests! We are looking for the people with the oldest T-shirts and those with the most consecutive years of T-shirts. (Must be present with shirts to win.) The party is at Lanier Park on Buford Dam Road from 1 – 4 pm. Lanier Park is a quarter of a mile east of the Dam Store on Buford Dam Road.

We appreciate all your efforts and thank you for twenty years of support!

Corps to hold public meeting

Mark your calendars for October 29 when the US Army Corps of Engineers will hold public scoping meetings as part of the update and review process for its Water Control Manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin.  In our area, your opportunity to comment on Lake Lanier’s role and needs will be at the Georgia Mountains Center in Gainesville from 5 – 8 pm on October 29.  The meeting is a open house format and there will be the opportunity to record and deliver your opinions.
Complete information on all meetings

Vicki Barnhorst
Executive Director

20th Annual Shore Sweep – September 27, 2008

Dear List Members:

The Lake Lanier Association will hold its twentieth Annual Shore Sweep on September 27, 2008 at thirteen locations around the Lake Lanier :

Aqualand Marina · Bald Ridge Marina

Beaver Ruin Rd, Cumming (between 4 YD and 5 YD)

Old 53 road bed (north of Lanier Bridge, east side)

Clarks Bridge Park · Gainesville Marina

Habersham Marina  · Holiday Marina

Lake Lanier Islands · Lanier Harbor Marina

Sunrise Cove Marina · Port Royale Marina

War Hill Park

The event will take place from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m., and volunteers may pick up bags to collect trash from the shoreline at one of the designated sites on the lake.  In return for a full bag of trash, the volunteers will receive either a free 20th Anniversary T-shirt or, for scouts, a Shore Sweep 2008 patch, and an invitation to the Shore Sweep volunteer appreciation party which will take place after the 20th Annual Shore Sweep on September 27 at Lanier Park on Buford Dam Road.

Please note that most boat ramps are closed and that large items cannot be left in the water at sites for pick up later. With the help of Martin Docks and Marine Specialties, we have made special arrangements for the disposal of large items collected by boat.

Hall County :Large items may be taken by boat only to a dumpster at the Old Highway 53 road bed in Hall County; this is first cove on the right after Lanier Bridge heading north.

Dawson County: Dawson County volunteers will be using a work barge donated by Marine Specialties in Gainesville to collect large items of trash between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 am on September 27 at ‘Deer Island,’ across from Athens Boat Club.   Dawson County organizers are forming individual volunteer work teams to collect trash either north of Deer Island or immediately south of Deer Island which will then be placed on the barge Saturday morning.  Volunteers are needed to work either on the morning of Shore Sweep or to help out on one of the three days preceding Shore Sweep.  For more information on volunteering for Shore Sweep in Dawson County, please email dawsonshoresweep@cs.com.

Forsyth County:  take large items to the end of Beaver Ruin Road in Forsyth County on the south side of Young Deer Creek between markers 4 and 5.

Please note that Marine Specialties barges will be in the vicinity of the Hall and Forsyth sites for boaters to transfer heavy and large items of trash.  Please take tires to one of these sites for appropriate disposal.

The Lake Lanier Association is holding special contests for volunteers at the appreciation party and is asking them to bring their T-shirts from past years to the party where organizers will be awarding prizes for those with T-shirt from the earliest year, and to the person with the most consecutive year T-shirts.  Party attendees will enjoy free food and beverages, entertainment and a chance to win raffle prizes.

The Lake Lanier Association thanks Dawson County, Keep Forsyth County Beautiful, Hall County, J & J Disposal, Martin Docks, Marine Specialties and Bridgestone for their commitment to Shore Sweep and their assistance with trash collection and disposal.  A complete list of sponsors can be seen on the Shore Sweep flyer on our Web site, http://www.lakelanier.org/ev_ss_lla_shore_sweep.php

We thank all the dedicated Shore Sweep volunteers for their participation and support and look forwarding to seeing them again on September 27!

For more information, please contact the office at 770-503-7757.

____________________________________________________________________________

Native Gardening Workshop, September 22

Please note that a few seats remain at the association’s first Native Gardening Workshop on September 22 at 6:15 pm at the North Georgia Community Foundation, 615 Oak Street, Gainesville.  For more information, visit http://llanews.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/native-plant-workshop-september-22-2008/

Vicki Barnhorst
770-503-7757

Native Plant Workshop – September 22, 2008

Please join us on Monday, September 22, 2008  for our first Native Plant workshop. (Click here for flyer)

The workshop will be held at the North Georgia Community Foundation board room at  615 Oak Street in Gainesville beginning at 6:15 p.m.  Refreshments will be served. Click here for directions.

Space is limited to 30 participants, who must register in advance. There is no charge for the workshop, and registrants will be asked to send a $10 refundable deposit to secure their place.  Please mail your check payable to the Lake Lanier Association to the association at 615F Oak St., Suite 100, Gainesville, GA 30501.
If you would like to pre-register, please email us at lakeinfo@lakelanier.org.

LLA Updates on meetings with the Corps and Tri-States lawsuits

Dear List Members,

Your association has been very busy over the last few weeks meeting with Corps’ officials to discuss lake levels.

Meetings with the Corps

As you may have read, a delegation of Georgia legislators met on July 9 in DC with the Undersecretary of the Army who oversees the Corps of Engineers and discussed Lake Lanier lake levels and management.  The Lake Lanier Association prepared and provided an indepth presentation to the legislators who used it to form the basis of their discussion and requests.

We requested a meeting with Brig. Gen. Schroedel, commander of the Corps’ South Atlantic division, to discuss the Corps’ management of the lake and met with him on July 16.   Representing the association were Val Perry, Executive Vice President, Wilton Rooks, Vice President, and Clyde Morris, LLA legal council.  Also attending were John Heard, Georgia State House Representative, Gwinnett County, Dr. Carol Couch, Director Georgia EPD, Virgil Williams, Lake Lanier Islands Resort and other Lake Lanier Islands representatives.

We made a detailed presentation on our assessment of the Corps’ Revised Interim Operating Plan’s (RIOP) impact on Lake Lanier and suggested modifications to this RIOP to help keep more water in Lake Lanier.

Tri-States Lawsuits
Florida, Alabama, and the Southeastern Federal Power Customers (SeFPC) all filed motions in the Tri-State Water Rights Litigation recently seeking to push the Corps’ current management of Lake Lanier to the back burner and turn the court’s attention instead to a tangential issue regarding water supply contracts that would have little bearing on the more serious issue of preserving Lake Lanier’s water.  They are trying to take advantage of a court decision issued several months ago in a related case that invalidated a settlement agreement among Georgia, the SeFPC, and various Georgia water supply providers regarding allocation of storage space in Lake Lanier for north Georgia’s water supply needs.  The LLA views the motions as a tactic that would divert attention away from the disastrous 2007 draw-down of the Lake and the real possibility that a further significant draw-down could occur again in 2008, now that we are entering the driest part of the year.  For that reason, the LLA categorically opposed the motions.  On Friday, the LLA and all the other Georgia parties to the litigation opposed the motions in documents filed with the court. These filings may be viewed on our Web site.

More information on our activities concerning lake levels can be found in the July issue of our newsletter, Lanier Outlook.  If you are not a member of the Lake Lanier Association we hope you will join and support our work.  Members receive our bi-monthly newsletters, invitations to our meetings and special notices.

Request for Support
The Lake Lanier Association appreciates all the financial support you have generously donated enabling us to be an intervener in all the Tri-States lawsuits.  We are the only organization representing the lake in those suits, and we are asking for your continued support of our efforts by donating to our legal fund.You may send a check marked legal donation to our office at the address below or may contribute on our Web site

Thank you very much.

Vicki Barnhorst
The Lake Lanier Association

Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as he to host special WDUN broadcast from the shore of Lake Lanier

You are invited to join Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as he hosts a special WDUN broadcast from the shore of Lake Lanier.  The show will be focused on our state’s water needs and specifically, how the shrinking water levels have impacted the people in your community.  We hope to interview a variety of people to hear first-hand how the drought has affected businesses, real-estate, landscaping, summer water activities and more.  Plan to come by the event or call into the show.

Please join us this Friday as the Lt. Governor Hosts the Martha Zoller Show on the voice of North Georgia, WDUN Newstalk 550!

Who: Lt. Governor Casey Cagle WDUN Broadcast from Lake Lanier’s Shore

When: Friday, July 11th from 8:00 AM – 11:45AM

Where: Lake Lanier Islands – broadcast will be near the entrance of the Beach and Waterpark

(Directions: Enter through the main gate house of Lake Lanier Islands Resort and let the main gate know that you are here for the WDUN radio show. Once inside the gate, stay straight on the road and stay inside the round-about. Go over the Beach & WaterPark bridget. Turn right at the sign for Harbor Landing Boat Rentals. Follow this road to the right as it curves to the right, and then you will see a small parking lot on your right. Turn into this parking lot which leads to the wavepool entrance of the Beach & WaterPark.  Parking is available in this lot and also in the lot before you curved to the right.  The broadcast will be under the Tiki hut. Steps down to the Tiki Hut are also right next to the wavepool entrance)

Contact: If you are interested in attending or participating in the broadcast, please contact Jaillene Hunter at Jaillene.Hunter@ltgov.ga.gov or by calling 404-656-5030.
Lake Lanier Island Contact: Katy McLaughlin 770-235-8007

June 19, 2008: Lake Lanier Political Forum

Dear List Members,

The Lake Lanier Association Political Forum will take place tomorrow,  Thursday, June 19 at 6 pm at the LakeviewCenter in Dawsonville.

http://www.lakeviewcentercomplex.com/contact.html

The meeting will begin with light refreshments at 6 pm and the program will start at 6:30.  We are expecting 20 candidates, including two for US Congress, several for state house or senate and for county commission positions: Several Forsyth County Commission candidates have committed to attend.

The candidates will have the opportunity to briefly introduce themselves and then they will answer YOUR questions.  If you are unable to attend, but would like to submit a question, please email me with your question indicating which office should respond.

We have learned today that State Representative Mark Hamilton, District 23, will be representing Senator Saxby Chambliss and will address Lake Lanier issues on the Senator’s behalf.

We hope you will attend this event and look forwarding to seeing you tomorrow.

June 9, 2008: 6th Annual Golf Tournament, June 16

Dear List Members,

We are looking for more members to play golf at the Lake Lanier Association’s 6th Annual Golf Tournament which takes place on Monday, June 16 at PineIsle Golf Resort on Lake Lanier Islands. Entry fee includes the gate fee, greens fee, cart rental, lunch and appreciation reception. Cost is

$1000 – Corporate Sponsor (includes signage and four players)
$400 – Sign Sponsor
$150 – Per Person

Registration starts at 10:00 a.m., the range opens at 10:30 a.m., and the shotgun start is at 11:30 a.m. We have great raffle prizes to be awarded at the appreciation barbeque after the tournament. If you like to play golf and would like to support your association, please email us or register at http://www.lakelanier.org/ev_lla_golf_tournament.php

Political Forum June 19

The Lake Lanier Association will hold a political forum on Thursday, June 19 at the Lakeview Center, 2057 Dawson Forest Rd., E, Dawsonville..
The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm with light refreshments followed by the program from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm. Elected officials up for re-election this year and candidates for federal, state senate, state house and county commission seats in the districts and counties surrounding Lake Lanier and its watershed will answer questions from the audience on their policies related to the protection of Lake Lanier.
The meeting is open to all association members and is open to non-members intererested in Lake Lanier issues. Attendees at the forum on June 19 will be able to submit written questions to candidates.

Submit your candidate questions in advance -
http://www.lakelanier.org/ev_lla_political_forums.php

Annual Meeting

The Lake Lanier Association held its annual membership meeting on May 19, 2008 at the Lakeview Center in Dawsonville.

We were pleased to have Brigadier General Joseph Schroedel, head of the Atlantic District of the US Army Corps of Engineers as our guest speaker who was accompanied by other Corps officials.
General Schroedel covered the status of the major drought that we are experiencing in Georgia, and its impact on Lake Lanier. James Hathorn gave a detailed PowerPoint presentation on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin. Questions from the audience were strong and frequent, ranging from issues about the flushing so much of Lanier’s water to Florida to the status of water levels expected for this summer. Some of the statements from the General and his staff included:
Lanier water levels will drop another two to six feet by the end of September 2008. We believe that this will be more dramatic unless a major change in operation is implemented
The new Modified Interim Operation Plan (MIOP) will go into effect June 1st and the CORPS claims it will provide some relief for Lanier. We will study the implications of this new plan and present the results in our next newsletter.
A major new water management plan (finally replacing the current plan after 30 years) is being worked on by the CORPS, and it should be completed in less than three years. The LLA was urged to participate in the development of the plan, and we will have representation on the various committees.
The General has set up a meeting with the LLA and others for June 19th, where apparent disagreements on the CORPS management of the Chattahoochee water system will be debated and hopefully resolved. We will report on the outcome of that meeting in our next newsletter.
The audience asked many more questions, and the CORPS has responded to us with the answers.

As usual, the LLA is soliciting donations to assist with our legal work that continues to be very expensive.

We look forward to seeing you at a future event and thank you for your continued support.

Vicki Barnhorst
Executive Director

May 10, 2008: Annual Membership Meeting – May 19

The Lake Lanier Association’s annual membership meeting will take place on Monday, May 19 at the Lakeview Center in Dawsonville. The meeting will begin at 6 pm with refreshments generously provided by Longhorns Steakhouse in Dawsonville and music provided by the Good Time Singers.

A cash wine and beer bar will be available.

The program begins at 6:30 pm and includes updates by board members on Lake Lanier Association initiatives and programs. The guest speaker will be Brigadier General Joe Schroedel, commander of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division. General Schroedel will answer questions after his presentation.

The membership meeting is also open to members of the public interested Lake Lanier issues. The Lakeview Center’s address is

2057 Dawson Forest Rd., E, Dawsonville, and directions are on their Web site, http://www.lakeviewcentercomplex.com/contact.html

6th Annual Lake Lanier Association Golf Tournament – June 16

The Lake Lanier Association hosts its annual golf tournament on Monday, June 16, 2008. The event is open to the public, and this year marks its sixth consecutive year. The lakefront site of the event will be PineIsle Golf Club located on Lake Lanier Islands in Buford.

The golf range opens at 10:30 a.m. and the shotgun start will be at 11:30 a.m. Prizes will be awarded for best score, second best score and challenge winners. The Hole in One prize is a Chevy Silverado truck from Bill Heard Chevrolet in Buford. Players will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for great prizes. The entry fee is $150 cost per person and includes greens fees, cart rental, a boxed lunch, an appreciation barbeque reception and all taxes and gratuities. Sign sponsorships are available for $400 and Corporate sponsorships are available for $1,000 and include signage and four players.
Players may register on the association’s Web site, http://www.lakelanier.org/ev_lla_golf_tournament.php or call 770-503-7757 for more information.

Political Forum – June 19

The Lake Lanier Association will hold a political forum on Thursday, June 19 at the Lakeview Center, 2057 Dawson Forest Rd., E, Dawsonville..

The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm with light refreshments followed by the program from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm. Elected officials up for re-election this year and candidates for federal, state senate, state house and county commission seats in the districts and counties surrounding Lake Lanier and its watershed will answer questions from the audience on their policies related to the protection of Lake Lanier.

The meeting is open to all association members to members of the public interested in issues affecting the lake.
For more information, please contact the Lake Lanier Association at 770.503.7757.

Courtesy Anouncement – US Coast Guard Auxiliary course – June 21
Flotilla 29 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Lake Lanier, announces a 1-day 7-lesson ABOUT BOATING SAFELY course. The course is set for June 21, 2008, at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Operations Center, Lights Ferry Road, on the left just before entering Aqualand Marina. This course also serves as a PWC certified course for children under the age of 16.

Classes run from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM, and cost is $30. Class size is limited. Contact Dave Wall at 770-904-6340 or email auxiliaryclass@bellsouth.net for more information.

April 4, 2008: BoatUS Alert and Shore Super Sweep Information

Dear List Members,

We have received more information from BoatUS on the proposed EPA discharge permit for all boats. Please read this on our Web site at http://www.lakelanier.org/downloads/epa_0408.pdf

The Lake Lanier Association announces cleanups at four locations on Lake Lanier on Saturday, April 12, 2008 as part of its Shore Super Sweep program, an ongoing volunteer program to clean up trash on the shoreline of Lake Lanier exposed due to the low water levels.

The targeted areas are Flat Creek, Holiday Road/Lake Lanier Islands, Yellow Creek in Murrayville, and Nix Bridge in Dawsonville. Details on times and directions are posted on the association’s Web site http://www.lakelanier.org/ev_ss_lla_shore_super_sweep.php

In cooperation with the Buford office of the US Army Corps of Engineers, a dumpster is available at Van Pugh Park South, Flowery Branch. Dumpsters will be on site for the Yellow Creek and Holiday Road/Lake Lanier Islands cleanups and a dumpster will be available at Gainesville Marina (public boat ramp). Tires may not be placed in dumpsters and must be taken to Van Pugh South Park and placed next to that dumpster for special handling.

These cleanups mark the end of the Shore Super Sweep effort which has been in place since December 2007. All dumpsters will be removed by April 15. To date both individual volunteers and groups have collected at least 30 tons of trash. We appreciate everyone’s support in cleaning up the shoreline and hope you will mark your calendars for September 27, 2008 when we will celebrate the association’s 20th annual Shore Sweep.

The association thanks J & J Disposal in Gainesville for providing the roll-off dumpsters for Shore Super Sweep and S & Ace Hardware and Super Wal-Mart in Buford, and Home Depot in Gainesville for providing trash bags.

Thank you.