At the current rate, it’s possible that the final dock permit at Lake Lanier may be issued within the next few years. As the Shoreline Management Plan update and Environmental Impact Statement were completed just over a year ago, the Corps of Engineers also conducted a Private Boat Dock Carrying Capacity Study. This study examined the relationship between private boat dock permitting guidelines and future shoreline dock density.

At that time in late 2004, 8,600 permits existed on the lake. As of February 2006, there are more than 9,500 permitted docks. This number has climbed rapidly due to the number of community dock permits issued.

Permits Pending; Community Docks Popular

This number, however, does not represent those individuals or developers who have met with a corps representative and received a positive recommendation for an individual or community dock permit but have not yet submitted an application. There are approximately 85 private dock requests and 400 community dock equivalents in this category. 

The corps counts slips on community docks a bit differently than individual permits; two slips on a community dock are equivalent to one permit in our count. For example, a community dock with 20 slips is the equivalent of 10 dock permits.

As we move closer to the top limit of permits, we predict that the historical pace of 150 new permits per year will rapidly increase. At this time, developers are coming to the corps to discuss community docks before purchasing land. They’re also applying for community docks prior to starting construction on the property.

Community docks provide an excellent alternative to individual docks. They reduce the environmental impact by focusing the development into one area and protecting the remaining shoreline. They have become even more popular than we first envisioned when the concept was proposed.

Public Notice

Currently, we estimate that approximately 1,000 dock permits remain, not including those 480 or so requested but not yet applied for by private owners and developers. Since these permits may or may not be issued, it is difficult to estimate the amount of time it will take to reach our maximum number of 10,615 permits.

As outlined in the Shoreline Management Plan, the Corps of Engineers will give public notice when there are approximately 500 permits remaining.

As stewards of Lake Lanier and the public lands surrounding it, the Corps of Engineers’ goal is to protect and provide a healthy future for this valuable resource.

This month’s column by the US Army Corps of Engineers provides the current status of the Private Boat Dock Carrying Capacity Study. For the full study please visit the Corps of Engineers’ website at http://lanier.sam.usace.army.mil/ then select Shoreline Management, then Final EIS Nov 2003. Scroll down and select Private Boat Dock Carrying Capacity Study Appendix-e.pdf.

In 2004, the US Army Corps of Engineers published a new Environmental Impact Statement and Shoreline Management Plan outlining their policies.  The following Corps articles from Lakeside News are reprinted here with the kind permission of Lakeside Publishing.