Glades Reservoir caught in midst of dispute over raising level of Lanier

ATLANTA - Former state Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Joe Tanner is under fire in some circles for criticism of a proposal to raise the level of Lake Lanier by two feet.

Tanner outlined his opposition to the plan in a letter to to the corps of engineers.

He calls the plan costly, complicated and ill-advised, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, adding it will be "difficult and it will take two years to achieve."

But the Sierra Club says Tanner is just protecting his interest in the planned Glades Farm Reservoir in Hall County, where his firm is the lead consultant for the county. However, Tanner says raising the level of Lanier has no bearing on Glades.

Supporters of raising the level of the lake see it as a way of storing for water for Georgia's growing population, much of which depends on Lanier as a source of drinking water, with minimum affect on the surrounding shoreline.