Lake Lanier

GEORGIA


Lake Level
1,068.80 FEET
6/6/2023
Full Pool: 1,071.0
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Lake Lanier News

Water Resources Outlook (March 2023)

Todd Hamill

Date: 3/20/2023

Water Resources Outlook for March

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Is Your Boat’s Long Winter Nap Going Well?

BoatUS News

Date: 1/1/2023

SPRINGFIELD, VA., Jan. 24, 2022 – Storms have hammered the U.S., and many recreational boats are sleeping away the winter under a layer of ice and snow. If you store your boat outside and haven’t checked up on her lately, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has five tips for a midwinter

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What Every Boater Wants for the Holidays: 24/7 On-Water Assistance from TowBoatUS

BoatUS News

Date: 11/14/2022

Gadgets may make good holiday gifts. However, for a boater, having 24/7 on-the-water help just a call away is much better. Like belonging to an auto club for recreational boat owners, a BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership provides professional on-water towing services by the TowBoatUS fleet - the nation’s largest

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What Did We Name Our Boats in 2022? Top 10 Boat Names List

BoatUS News

Date: 11/11/2022

Now that recreational boating is coming to a close in much of the country, BoatUS takes a look back at the Top 10 boat names ordered this season through its online boat graphics service and provides some commentary. Andiamo: Meaning “let’s go / we go / come on” in Italian, Andiamo remains in the

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Boat Winterizing Truth or Myth? Test Your Knowledge

BoatUS News

Date: 11/1/2022

Recreational boat owners are preparing their boats for a long winter’s nap, but sugarplums aren’t dancing in their heads. What may keep them up at night is hoping cold temperatures won’t damage their boats. Freshwater expands in volume by about 9% when it freezes and can push outward with a force of

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• River: Chattahoochee River
• Length: 540 Miles
• Surface Area: 38,542 Acres
• Volume: 1,917,000 Acre Feet
• Drainage Area: 1,040 Square Miles
• Length: 44 Miles
Lake Sidney Lanier, often referred to as Lake Lanier, is a reservoir in the northern portion of Georgia. Lake Lanier was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee River. It was named for poet Sidney Lanier, and was built and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is patrolled by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The lake is in Hall, Forsyth, Dawson, Gwinnett, and Lumpkin counties, split about 60%, 30%, 5%, 4%, and 1% respectively, filling the valley into numerous small arms and fingers. The former thalweg of the Chestatee and the Chattahoochee south of it form the county line between Hall and a tiny corner of Gwinnett to the east, and Dawson and Forsyth to the west.

One of the main purposes of the lake is flood control downstream of the lake, mainly protecting metro Atlanta. There have only been three major flooding events on the downstream section since the construction of Buford Dam. The most recent flooding event was in 2013.

The lake's original lake and authorized purposes were to provide hydroelectricity, navigation, flood control and water supply for Atlanta.

Lake Lanier began filling in 1956, and in 1957, 20 miles downstream, Morgan Falls Dam was raised to regulate the flow from Buford Dam to give Atlanta water during the hours it was needed most. The foresight of the entire project was confirmed in early fall of 1958 during two solid months of drought which would have left the Chattahoochee and its tributaries nearly dry, if not for the Buford Dam.

Since the 1990s, the Corps of Engineers, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have all been fighting for use of the water held in Lake Lanier. Federal law mandates that when a river flows between two or more states, each state has a right to an equal share of the water. Additionally, other laws such as the Endangered Species Act require that water be available for threatened or endangered species that live in or around Chattahoochee River and Apalachicola Bay.

Lake Lanier is particularly known for its boaters, houseboats, jetskiers and there is also a local water park, The Lake Lanier Islands waterpark. The 1996 Summer Olympics rowing and sprint canoeing events were held at the lake. It also hosted the canoe sprint World Championships in 2003 at the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club.

Every year from mid-November through December, Lake Lanier Islands are decorated with holiday lights, know as the Magical Nights of Lights, one of the world's largest light shows.
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