Water Levels Continue to Drop at Lake Lanier

As drought conditions persist throughout the southeast, water levels at Lake Lanier continue to drop. The lake was at 1061.13 as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, dropping from 1062.86 on Sept. 21.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts Lake Lanier will be in a drought by early to mid-November and are getting ready for drought conditions.

"We begin drought operations once it gets down to about 1056," said Lisa Coghlan, spokesperson with the Corps. That is more than 10 feet below full pool.

The Corps has started to curtail some of its operations because they are seeing more impact around the lake's recreational areas as the water levels decrease.

Coghlan told Cumming Patch there are a lot of boater's that would like to get their boats into certain coves and areas, but are not allowed to at this time.

The Corps is also not accepting some permit requests for new private docks and upgrades to existing private docks until the lake level rises above 1064.

“This is in accordance with the Lake Lanier Low Water Action Plan and is an action we have had to take several times in the past under similar drought conditions. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, but it is important to be able to properly address requests with adequate water to make informed decisions,” Coghlan said.

If you're heading to the lake, the Corps advises boaters to take extra precaution due to the lower lake levels. Boaters should be especially observant for underwater obstructions such as shallow areas, rocks, stumps and trees.

For daily lake level information call 770-945-1467.