Corps agrees to reduce water releases from Lanier

MOBILE, AL - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has granted a request from Georgia officials to reduce water quality releases from Lake Lanier at Buford Dam, starting immediately.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources requested on November 7 that the Corps reduce water quality releases from Lanier from 750 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 650 cfs at the earliest possible date, continuing through March 31, 2012 in order to conserve as much storage as possible in Lake Lanier.

Water quality analysis provided by Georgia DNR indicated that water quality criteria for fishable streams could be maintained through the cooler winter and spring seasons with a reduced flow of 650 cfs at Peachtree Creek.

Mobile District evaluated the data provided by Georgia DNR, according to spokesman Patrick Robbins, and determined the lower flow criteria would have no negative effect on the environment of the river and would provide the ability to conserve storage in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint rivers system. The request also included an adaptive management plan to address any changes that might occur to the environment due to the decreased
flows.

"After evaluating the data we determined that the decreased flows would not have a negative effect on the environmental quality of the river and would allow some minimal increase in storage for the system headwaters," Robbins said. "This increased storage, while not significant at this time, could
prove very beneficial to the system if the La Nina weather pattern persists as predicted."

The Corps will begin implementation of the lower flow criteria beginning on Wednesday, November 23, 2011.

"In order to avoid confusion, it's important to note that a 100 cfs decrease will be invisible to the general public seeing releases from Buford Dam," Robbins said.

This request is in line with a similar request from Georgia officials in 2008 during the last drought.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/11/243802