As the drought enters its 13th month, a coalition of local chambers of commerce in the metro Atlanta region sent a letter today demanding answers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and more information on their plans to protect north Georgia’s water supply in the face of increasing rainfall in the north Florida Panhandle.

“We learned yesterday that the Corps has actually increased releases from Lake Lanier the last few days. At the same time, the Panhandle region that they are sending this water to has experienced normal rainfall for the last month,” said Stephen Loftin, executive director of the Regional Business Coalition.

“It looks like the Panhandle will be receiving another three to six inches of rain today while the metro Atlanta area records less than a tenth of an inch. That’s wonderful for those communities in North Florida and South Georgia that are getting the rain. They need it just as bad as we do. But it calls into question the Corps’ management plan and how they make their decisions on when and how much water to release,” Loftin added.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the Lake Lanier reservoir as part of the Chattahoochee water system. The Corps is currently releasing approximately 2,800 cubic feet/second (cfs) or approximately 1.8 billion gallons of water a day from Lake Lanier to support releases at the Florida line of over 5,000 cfs as part of an agreement the Corps entered into to protect certain species of mussels and fish in the Apalachicola River.

“According to the National Weather Service, the Apalachicola River basin as a whole has received approximately six inches of rain over the last two months with some areas receiving twice that amount. This amounts to over 26 billion gallons of water. Contrast that to the metro Atlanta area that has received only about two inches of rain. This means that Lake Lanier, which is estimated to be receiving approximately 180 million gallons a day from its feeder streams, is sending out 10 times that amount (1.8 billion gallons a day), to preserve water flows for a region that has received 26 billion gallons of water in rainfall over the last two months,” Loftin stated.

In response to this, the Regional Business Coalition has sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting that the Corps take immediate steps to change the Interim Operating Plan to allow for smaller releases from Lake Lanier when areas downstream are receiving average to above-average rainfall amounts.

“This is just common sense. The very least they can do is to minimize withdrawals upstream when downstream sections of the basin are getting consistent rainfall,” said Loftin.

The letter, sent to Brigadier General Joseph Schroedel, Commander of the South Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, noted that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division had warned the Corps over a year ago that modeling by the division showed Lake Lanier’s water levels dramatically decreasing due to the Interim Operating Plan that the Corps adopted. The letter requested information on the Corps’ plan to conserve the metro area’s water supply in Lake Lanier, what the Corps’ plans were to meet the Endangered Species Act if Lake Lanier was no longer able to provide any flow for the Chattahoochee, whether the Corps would allow the basin to refill once rains returned and when the region could expect a new Water Supply Plan as required by law and requested by Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss.

“The Corps has been warned repeatedly that the result of their Interim Operating Policy would be a disaster and that is where we are heading if they do not take corrective action soon. The citizens of the metro region deserve to know what the Corps’ plan is to conserve our water supply now and when we can expect a new Water Supply Plan for Lake Lanier that balances the needs of the endangered species downstream with the needs of humans upstream,” stated Loftin.

GA/FL 30 Day Observed Precipitation - National Weather Service

GA/FL 30 Day Departure from Normal Precipitation - National Weather Service