Rising water levels in Lake Lanier prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday to close some parts of parks around Lake Lanier to the public.
According to a Facebook post, officials are closing the walking path at West Bank Park in Forsyth County, Nix Bridge boat ramp in Dawsonville and Thompson Creek boat ramp in Gainesville.
The Corps also issued a statement Wednesday saying that it is not advisable to swim or boat on Lake Lanier of the Chattahoochee River for the next two weeks.
The Corps plans to release water from Buford Dam 24 hours a day for the next two weeks.
"Rainfall of 6-8 inches from Tropical Storm Alberto that fell in the watershed above Lake Lanier during the last 48 hours has pushed lake levels above 1073 and an additional rise is expected,” said Corps spokesman Patrick Robbins in the statement. “We need to begin evacuating water from the lake to get back to the normal 1071 summer pool.”
As of 6 a.m. Thursday, the level was 1073.78.
“Wading and other uses of the river will be impossible at these flows. Only experienced boaters should attempt navigation during this time,” said Robbins. “We advise everyone to be aware of these additional flows and take all necessary safety precautions.”
Robbins said if there's no additional rainfall, the level of Lanier should drop back to 1071 within the two-week time frame.
AccessWDUN's Scott Kimbler and B.J. Williams contributed to this story.
