Lanier rising one inch an hour

PEACHTREE CITY - The National Weather Service says the steady rain that has been rolling across north Georgia for two days has been beneficial to Lake Lanier.

Service hydrologist Kent Frantz says the lake began rising by about 1 inch an hour and had gone up about one foot by Tuesday afternoon to a reading of 1054.3. It's still well below its normal winter pool of 1,070 feet.

Frantz calls the rise ``very significant for the size of the lake.'' He says indications are it will continue to rise from runoff from the rain expected to continue into Wednesday.

Big Creek in Alpharetta rose above its flood stage of 7.0 feet at midmorning and was expected to crest at about 8.3 feet by Wednesday.

Frantz said, ``We consider it in the minor flooding category and don't anticipate it to be major.

He said other lakes and streams in north Georgia are still rising, ``but whether they actually reach flood stage is in question.''

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