Corps: Rains Won't Do Much For Lanier

Recent rains haven't covered the sand bars on the Chattahoochee River at Eagle Phenix Dam in Columbus, Nov. 27, 2007. (Dave Bender)

The rains that swept over much of Georgia in recent days comes as good news, at least for the southwestern part of the state: Columbus and Rome got the most serious soaking in Sunday and Monday's rains.

The National Weather Service in Peachtree City says Columbus got over two and a half inches inches of rain, and Rome just about half that amount. Rob Holland of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the limited rainfall mostly helped the Chattahoochee River downstream from Atlanta:

"The level of Lake Lanier is not going to be affected very much by the recent rainfall. It did not come far enough north and fall over the basin that feeds the lake itself. However, they did get significant rain in the lower part of the Chattahoochee basin."

Holland says that flow should allow the Corps to halve the amount of water released from Lake Lanier from some 4,000 to about 1,500 cubic feet per second for about a week. Lanier is currently at 19 feet below nominal levels - a record low.

Click here for more GPB coverage of the drought.