Rains stem the flow of water from Lanier

GAINESVILLE - The man who oversees the operation of Lake Lanier says recent rains have made it possible to reduce the flow of water out of the lake.

Jonathan Davis told the Drought Management Forum at the Georgia Mountains Center Tuesday night the Thanksgiving weekend rains that fell south of the lake would help cut releases from Lanier where the water level at 4:00 Tuesday morning was 1051.99.

“We’ve now been able to reduce those in half to about 1200 cubic feet per second,” Davis said. Before the rainfall, Davis said, the Corps was releasing 2600 cubic feet per second from Lake Lanier.

Total reservoir release to protect Florida’s endangered water species is now at 4750 CFS, down from 5000 CFS.

That means more water storage, but without more rain release levels go back up.
So, Davis said, water conservation remains vital during the continuing drought.

Davis said Lanier water storage could last over a year, but not without focused conservation efforts.

“The conservation level is down to elevation 1035, but the bottom of the conservation pool is not the end of all the water in the lake,” Davis added. “If we continue to release from 1200 to 1500 CFS from Lake Lanier, if everything else in the system stays the same, and if we don’t get any rain, there’s about 150 days of water left in the conservation pool.”

Davis said below that there is the inactive pool, there’s about 293 days of water left.

“Add those together and you get 442 days of water right now at current rates of release if nothing changes,” Davis said. “It would be dire to get to that, we need to conserve. “That’s in a worst case scenario; we don’t want to be out of water in 442 days; what do we do after that?”

Tuesday night's Drought Management Forum panel fielded questions from Northeast Georgians concerned about water releases from Lake Lanier.

Jeff Fleming with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service said releases less than 5000 cubic feet per second are appropriate because of the exceptional drought.

"We're working with the Corps to set up and put some triggers in place that would allow the Corps to move to 4500 CFS below Woodruff Dam," Fleming said.

Fleming said gradual water release reduction would give endangered Florida mussels and Gulf Sturgeon time to get used to lower water levels.

Public Utilities Director Kelly Randall praised local residential and industrial water customers for helping achieve a 15.93 million gallon a day consumption, down from 17.8 million gallons a day a year ago.

Randall said the drought and water conservation is not the only challenge facing consumers.

"We need to figure out a way to be able to reduce the water and save our water while saving all of our jobs," Randall said.

The state's reduction requirement is ten percent or 15.8 million gallons daily consumption.

Randall said the he would be challenged to hold water rates down if he has less water to sell because of conservation requirements.

Other panel members included Tim Cash with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, who said the state still wants water releases reduced from Lake Lanier and is putting on a 'full court press' to get them reduced.

Hall County Public Works Director Doug Derrer said the county is doing its share including a halt to washing county vehicles and reporting any water restriction violators to Gainesville Utilities.

Chris Smerjian, Assistant Professor of Physical Geography at Gainesville College, pointed out four regional factors causing the drought including a water shed that covers 1.7 percent of the state but with 40 percent of the state's population at 4.7 million out of eight million people.

Smerjian said a 26-inch water deficit, and a regional crystalline rock base that does not absorb water well were other problems.

Clermont landscapist Kellie Bowen announced plans to form a Water Task Force to educate the public on water conservation as the Forum concluded.

Bowen said her entire industry is suffering from the drought and resulting water use restrictions.

"It's not just the landscapers, it's the garden centers, it's the wholesale suppliers, the growers, it's a huge chain reaction and the fallout is just beginning," she said.

Bowen said water users need to change their habits; the drought has taught the hard lesson that there is no longer a 'never ending' water supply.