What Steps are Being Taken to Prevent Future Excessive Releases
Senators Saxby Chambliss & Johnny Isakson and Congressman Nathan Deal hosted a forum on The ACF and ACT River Basins & Georgia’s Water Resource Needs on Tuesday, August 8 at 10:00 am at Riverside Military Academy’s Sandy Beaver Center in Gainesville.
The purpose of the Congressional Field Hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works was to find out why 1.9 ft of water from Lake Lanier was released from Buford Dam between December 2005 and June, 2006, what steps are being taken to prevent future excessive releases.
Witnesses included Governor Sonny Perdue, Brigadier General Michael Walsh, Commander, US Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic, Forsyth County Commission Chair Jack Conway, Greater Hall County Chamber of Commerce President Kit Dunlap and Lake Lanier Association President Jackie Joseph.
The Corps has recently installed a triple redundant system for checking levels at Lake Lanier system and is working under an Interim Operating Plan which provides flows for the endangered species, and they have also committed to updating the Water Control Manual as of January 2, 2007, which will take two years and involves data gathering and analysis and public meetings.
Testimony from all witness is available on the committee’s Web site and the Lake Lanier Association’s presentation can be viewed on this Web site.