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Lake Sidney Lanier. Water Supply for Atlanta, Georgia Field Photos 11/19/07 by J. Ebert. Southeast Drought. The Southeast U.S. is in the midst of one of the worst droughts on record Approximately 3 million people live in Atlanta and its surrounding metropolitan
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Lake Sidney Lanier Water Supply for Atlanta, Georgia Field Photos 11/19/07 by J. Ebert
Southeast Drought • The Southeast U.S. is in the midst of one of the worst droughts on record • Approximately 3 million people live in Atlanta and its surrounding metropolitan • These people will run out of water in 79 days!
Lake Lanier Watershed Comprises northern portion of the Chattahoochee River Watershed Lake Lanier has a very low ratio of watershed to surface area
Lake Lanier: A Multipurpose Lake • Constructed by US Army Corps of Engineers • Provides • Flood protection • Power production • Water supply • Navigation • Recreation • Fish and wildlife management
Monitoring Water Level in Lake Lanier • 11/19/07 Lake Lanier hits record low level of 1052.64 feet (just a few hours after this photo)– lowest level since construction • Level is about 11 ft. below average and 15 ft. below capacity • Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution & USACE
Average and Forecast Lake Levels Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Monitoring Water Level in Lake Lanier • Lake Lanier now holds only 42% of its capacity • Surface area is reduced by 22% • This level represents a 79 day supply for the Atlanta metropolitan area • Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution