With Lake Lanier's water level already well above full pool, rainfall this week began creating problems at Lake Lanier Olympic Park, prompting officials to stack sandbags in strategic locations to ward off water damage.
Venue Manager Robin Lynch said Wednesday there are no plans to close the park, but conditions are hazardous around the site.
"We have water cresting over the apron on the boathouse side and then all the way up to the grandstands," Lynch said.
Lynch said staff and volunteers placed sandbags around an air conditioning unit, hoping to prevent damage to it, and she said there's concern rising water levels could damage boats stored in the boathouse at the site.
A large part of the problem is the debris that has washed into the lake from the heavy rains, according to Lynch.
"Large chunks of trees and limbs that get caught up in the boats...and on our race course, there's so much debris being caught up in it," Lynch said.
Lynch said Wednesday they could use the help of volunteers to remove the debris, but she said anybody who offers to help needs to be careful.
"Just be extra cautious when you're out on the water because there's so much debris," Lynch said. "And, on our plaza side, [water] is only a couple of inches over the plaza so if someone drove their boat up not knowing it, they could really damage their boats if they ran into the concrete."
AccessWDUN's Scott Kimbler and B.J. Williams contributed to this story.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/5/676111/water-levels-cause-issues-at-lanier-olympic-park