'09 Rainfall Continues To Raise Reservoir Levels

The bountiful rainfall of late winter and early spring in Georgia continues to erase effects of the drought. The state’s climatologist says the Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell basins have improved enough to be raised to a category of mild drought--up from a moderate drought designation. Meanwhile, the rest of the state is drought-free. Soil moisture conditions for most of the state are now above normal, except for some of the mountain counties in Georgia. And there’s more rain on the way--much of the state today can expect showers and thunderstorms, with some possibly severe.

Heavy Rains Lift Most Of Georgia Out Of Drought

Most of Georgia is now out of drought--that word comes from the state’s climatologist. David Stooksbury says several days of heavy rain over the past week have now elevated the southern two-thirds of Georgia out of drought conditions. That follows the word from Stooksbury earlier this week that most of north Georgia had also stepped-out of drought. The only exeptions remain the Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell basins, which are still classified as in moderate drought.

Severe Storms Moving Through Georgia

Forecasters are warning Georgians to be alert for severe weather today. The National Weather Service has put the state under a high risk forecast--that means the potential exits for powerful storms, tornadoes, large hail, heavy rainfall and damaging winds. Forecasters say the greatest risk for severe thunderstorms will be west of a line from Carrollton to Warner Robins to Vidalia.

In south Georgia, several counties still trying to recover from flooding damage out of last weekend are now bracing for possible additional problems. Governor Sonny Perdue has activated the state operations center, putting multiple agencies now on standby to help where needed.

Flooding Prompts State Of Emergency In South Georgia

As a result of heavy rain that fell late last week into the weekend, Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency for six south Georgia counties. Baker, Colquitt, Miller, Tift, Turner and Worth counties will be eligible for state help in dealing with cleanup and repair efforts from flooding in the region. 800 miles of roads and nearly 100 homes were damaged in the six-county area. Nine bridges in the region also sustained damage. The agencies available to local authorities include GEMA, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Department of Transportation.

Boil-Water Alert in South Georgia

Health officials in two south Georgia counties have issued a boil-water alert for residents who receive drinking water from private wells. Health officials in Tift and Turner counties say many private wells likely were contaminated by heavy rainfall from Friday and Saturday. Customers are advised to bring their water to a full boil for at least two minutes before consuming. Another option is to use bottled water.

EPD Investigates Sewage Spill Into Chattahoochee

Columbus water officials could face stiff fines from a major sewage spill into the Chattahoochee River over the weekend.

Weekend rainfall flushed more than 1.5 million gallons of sewage into the Chattahoochee and nearby Lake Oliver in western Georgia.

Steve Davis with Columbus Water Works says more than five inches of rain overwhelmed the city's sewer system at two points. But, he says the spill likely is not a public health risk:

"We'd be very surprised. We don't suspect that even through our water quality sampling that we'll see much impact. From a public perspective, I wouldn't be concerned."

Davis says sewage that overflowed into the river was already well-diluted, and diluted further by strong river flow.

Columbus Water has already filed a report to the Enviromental Protection Division, with a meeting between officials soon to come. The EPD says Columbus Water Works could face fines, based on completion of a full review.

Lake Lanier at Highest Level Since '07

Three consecutive days of rain have added 6 inches to the level of Lake Lanier, its highest since late 2007.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch said Monday the level is still off what she had hoped it would be.

Three months ago, Lanier was 20 feet below full pool. Now it's more than 11 feet below. The decrease stems from winter rains and less water being released form the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the federal reservoir.

The Corps predicts the level will remain near 1,058.8 feet above sea level - its level on Tuesday - through April.

(AP)

Recent Rain A Bonus To Georgia

Widespread, soaking rains in two of the past three weekends this month have given the state a much-needed boost in combating the drought.

It could be called a good start. State climatologists are cautiously optimistic that drought-ravaged Georgia has received some bonus rain as spring and consistently warmer temperatures arrive soon.

More of the weekend’s widespread rain fell in north Georgia, where the drought’s effects have been most severe.

Assistant state climatologist Pam Knox says all this rain has been very beneficial for the state’s short-term needs:

"We’re going to see that all of the precipitation that falls from the end of March on, is going to be used immediately either by the plants or taken away by evaporation. So the last couple weeks is really critical for building up a bank account if you will of soil moisture."

The state’s reservoirs have seen the benefit. Lake Lanier in particular is at its highest level since October of 2007--more than 1,058 feet. Still, the north Georgia reservoir is around 11 feet below full pool.

Knox says Georgia still needs months of above-normal rainfall to make a big dent in ground water levels.

Weekend Rain Soaks Much Of Georgia

Rain is sweeping much of the state this morning--from extreme north Georgia, extending to Athens, Macon, Columbus and down to Albany. A weekend soaking for much of the state has brought continued needed relief for Georgia’s reservoirs, such as Lake Lanier. The north Georgia reservoir was up to a little more than 1,058 feet as of 6pm last night. It's Lanier’s highest level since October of 2007.

From the National Weather Service, Monday's forecast for Georgia:

FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EDT TODAY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA...

.TODAY...WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH AREAS OF MORNING FOG. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH. HIGHS IN THE 50S AND 60S NORTH...70S SOUTH.

.TONIGHT...RAIN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM SOUTH IN THE EVENING...THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS CONTINUING THROUGH THE NIGHT SOUTHEAST. AREAS OF FOG. LOWS IN THE 40S NORTH AND 50S SOUTH.

Heavy Rain Halts Thurmond Dam Outflow

Due to heavy rain that fell all day Friday into Saturday, officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the weekend moved to close Thurmond Dam in east Georgia. Corps officials in a press release said abundant rains in the upper Savannah River Basin including significant rain in the Stevens Creek sub-basin directly below Thurmond, spuured the move to stop outflows. Officials say they will evaluate river flow early today to determine when outflows from Thurmond Lake will resume.

Good Dose of Rain Falls in North Georgia

North Georgia has already had a good dose of rain from the overnight hours, and more is on the way. Showers and possible thunderstorms are in the forecast for this afternoon in north and central Georgia. Forecasters say the north Georgia region could experience four or more inches of rainfall by tomorrow. To that end, a flood watch is in effect for the region well into Wednesday. Already Tuesday morning, a flood warning has been issued for the Etowah River below Dawsonville. That warning extends until late Tuesday night.

State climatologist: north Georgia needs new normal rain measure

The state’s climatologist says the way average rainfall is calculated in north Georgia may have to change because of persistent drought in the region. 50 inches of rainfall in the metro Atlanta area has long been considered normal. But University of Georgia professor David Stooksbury says for eight of the last 11 years, the region has felt less than 50 inches annually. Stooksbury says for many a reference point is the period of time from the end of World War II to the late 1970’s. He says that period was an abnormal period in climate--abnormally wet.

Heavy rainfall is big benefit to Lanier

The heavy rainfall in north Georgia earlier this week was very good to area lakes and reservoirs. In particular, the region's Lake Lanier got much-needed help from the skies--its level rose more than two feet from only Sunday. The rainfall over the period equates to over 22-billion gallons of additional water for the reservoir. However, Lanier still remains around 15-feet below full. The reservoir is metro Atlanta's main source of drinking water.

Meanwhile, rainfall from the remnants of tropical storm Fay flooded portions of the state the past week, calling for Governor Sonny Perdue to announce emergency declarations for seven south Georgia counties. National weather service officials say Thomasville in southwest Georgia received the most rainfall from the storm--over 27 inches.

Rollin' on the reservoir in south Georgia

Spillway at Walter F. George Dam, Lock and Reservoir. (Dave Bender)

Every year several million visitors flock to the Walter F. George Reservoir on the Chattahoochee River in southwest Georgia.

Clyde Isom operates the boat lock at the southern end of the reservoir. He flicks a small switch that operates a set of 50-foot high iron doors that let boats in and out of the lock:

"Basically, we have the hydraulics going there, and when we get it closed, and once we drop this down, we have 172,000 pounds per square inch on these gates here…

It's a mechanism that works like an elevator for boats crossing between waterways of different heights. A boats enter one side of the lock, and the first set of doors swing shut behind it. Then -- depending on direction -- the water is either pumped in or out, which raises or lowers the boat.

Boat lock at the Walter F. George Reservoir. (Dave Bender)

Then, the set of doors in front of the boat swing open, allowing the craft to continue on. The lock between Walter F. George and George W. Andrews Lake makes its eight-story cycle in about 20 minutes.

Lockmaster Clyde Isom watches as the massive gates slowly close, at Walter F. George Dam. (Dave Bender)

The dam's about 75-miles south of Columbus. It was built in 1964 by the Corps of Engineers. Its water-driven turbines produce electricity for several thousand homes and businesses in south Georgia.

The reservoir, dam and lock are part of the 290-mile long Appalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River project -- "ACF" for short -- which connects the three waterways of Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

Several years of drought have only sharpened a contentious three-way deadlock over the amounts of water allowed to flow through the ACF and out to the Gulf of Mexico. And so far, no resolution is in sight.

Bill Smallwood of the Corps of Engineers runs the 45,000 acre reservoir. He says close to 4 million people flock to the area annually, and that last month traffic on the boat ramps was especially brisk:

"We're packed with boaters every weekend. Especially the Fourth of July; they have a huge fireworks show at Fort Gaines, and there had to have been 3-400 boats out here watching it that night."

Smallwood walks across the narrow road atop the dam. He notes that recent rains had those boats floating a lot higher than they would in Lake Lanier, upstream from Atlanta.

Lanier, which suffered a near-catastrophic drop in water levels from the drought, has recovered – somewhat. This part of the state, though, was less parched:

"Lanier started off about 15-feet low this year. They recovered about seven feet in the winter. But their watershed is an eighth the size of our watershed, so an inch of rain in north Georgia doesn't do as much as an inch of rain in middle Georgia does for us."

Smallwood says Lanier is currently releasing a minimal 7,500 gallons-per-second, unlike Walter F. George, which is at full pool.

The area also hosts the Eufala National Wildlife Refuge, which is also a popular refuge for bird and animal watchers. Smallwood says:

"We have a lot of deer -- all types of wildlife all around the lake. You see deer and turkey; we got a fox that lives out behind the office, and of course every type of bird life you can imagine…"

As if to illustrate his point, a deer suddenly bursts from some nearby trees, and dashes in front of our pickup truck, as we drive along the dam's entrance road. But it freezes when it sees us and then bounds back into the woods.

Wild deer attempting to cross approach road to the reservoir. (Dave Bender)

Deer tend to stay far from people, but some of the more dangerous denizens have been more bold about making their presence known:

"This time last year, we had a couple'a huge gators," Smallwood says. "I mean we had 11-12-13 foot; they were out here every day out behind our office. Haven't seem 'em this year, because they're hiding better I guess, because there's enough water."

But not to worry says Smallwood -- that water's attracting a lot more people than gators, this summer to the Walter F. George reservoir.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the drought in Georgia.

Ongoing drought may mean re-tightening the faucet

Lake Allatoona, north of Atlanta: bridge over troubled waters (Dave Bender/file)

Environmental Protection Division chief Carol Couch, said Wednesday the state's deepening drought may force her to tighten a range of water restrictions loosened earlier this year.

Couch says she will evaluate water use in the state next month, and decide whether to impose new restrictions for the dozens of communities in north Georgia where some watering limits have been relaxed.

The announcement came as state climatologist David Stooksbury declared that soaring summer temperatures and light rainfall have plunged more of Georgia into drought conditions.

Couch has faced criticism from some environmentalists who say relaxing water restrictions during the drought could send conflicting messages about the state's water crisis and set the stage for tighter limits in the fall. But Couch is also under pressure from agriculture groups, who fear a new round of conservation measures could cripple their industry.

(The Associated Press)

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Recent rain changes drought designation

Forecasters say recent rain in Georgia has lifted much of the state out of the government’s worst drought designation of “exceptional”. But around 20-percent of Georgia remains under “extreme” drought conditions. Small reservoirs have benefited from the rains and have refilled. However, larger ones are still challenged, such as Lake Lanier, now around 52-percent full.

Rain helps Allatoonta, not Lanier

Recent rainfall and winter precipitation of the past few weeks has been good for one north Georgia lake, but not so for another.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says Lake Allatoona is now slightly above its normal 'winter pool'level. Rob Holland with the Corps says it is a smaller reservoir, so it's easier to refill.

On the other hand, Holland says recent rainfall has not appeared to have found Lake Lanier.

"It has not benefitted from the rain--it seems like the rain goes around it. And it has a relatively small drainage basin that feeds it, so it's going to take a heck of a lot of rain to refill it".

Holland does say the Corps has been able to keep water releases from Lanier to the minimum required, as rainfall has helped downstream.

Recent rain prevents driest year for Atlanta

A good dose of weekend rain across metro-Atlanta will prevent the area from setting a new mark for driest year in the record books. Showers fell long enough across the area to total about 1.3 inches on Sunday-—pushing the rain total for the year to 31.85 inches. That is about a half-inch more than the mark from the year 1954, which will still stand as the driest on record for Atlanta. However, even with rain across the Atlanta-area in 10 of the past 12 days, the National Weather Service says it has had minimal effect on replenishing Lake Lanier. The latest record low for Lanier came last Wednesday. Since that time, the lake’s level has only risen less than an inch.

Will The Weekend Drenching Help?

The Sunday night update from the National Weather Service:

Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 36. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 62. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
New Year's Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Windy, with a west wind between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.

Rain fell in the city for a fourth consecutive day Sunday and meteorologists decided it probably would be enough to save 2007 from going down as the drought-stricken Atlanta area's driest year on record.

The most arid year ever recorded for Atlanta was 1954, when only 31.80 inches of rain fell.
Meteorologists had said it appeared that this year would have even less rain than that, saying rain falling Sunday morning would taper off and quit. However, showers continued and by 2:50 p.m. Sunday the 2007 cumulative rainfall was up to 31.56 inches — with a band of moderate rain moving in from Alabama.

"It's likely" the 1954 record will stay intact, said Mike Leary, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Dry weather was forecast for Monday.

There had been hope that Atlanta would escape a record book entry this year, as a parade of rainstorms began the week before Christmas. Atlanta got rain on 10 out of the last 12 days.

On Saturday morning, the 2007 cumulative rainfall total hit about 30.5 inches, and an overnight soaking was on the way, fed by moisture from the Gulf of Mexico.

On Sunday morning, the weather service said it didn't look like enough would fall during the day to match the 1954 level, seeming to guarantee a new record. But by 3 p.m. Sunday, more than an inch had accumulated for the day.

"It's just a wait and see," said Stephen Konarik, another weather service meteorologist.

Rain has also been unusually sparse in other Georgia cities this year, including Athens, Columbia and Macon. However, each of those cities has seen worse years than 2007, Konarik said.
Athens got 0.92 of an inch by mid-afternoon Sunday, Columbus got 1.12 inches, Augusta got 2 inches and Macon more than 2.5 inches, Leary said.

The latest rain had only a small effect on the metropolitan area's main source of drinking water,

Lake Lanier, where the receding water is exposing roads and the foundations of buildings submerged since the reservoir was created in the 1950s.

The water level in the reservoir stood at an all-time low of 1,050.79 inches on Wednesday, and by 6 a.m. Sunday it had risen to only 1,051.05 inches.

"What's falling now won't show up until tomorrow or the next day," said Rob Holland, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the reservoir.

"Anything that stops the level from falling is a good thing," he added. "But we'd like to get a whole lot more."

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(The Associated Press)

Stormy Weather Washes Across Northern Georgia

Atlanta skyline on a rainy Friday morning, Dec. 28, 2007. (Dave Bender)

Most of Georgia is getting blanketed by much-needed rain today. The National Weather Service has forecast thunderstorms--some possibly severe--for much of north and central Georgia throughout the day. Early this morning, rain was moving in from west Georgia toward the northeast, on the way to moisture-starved Lake Lanier. Mild temperatures are forecast, from the 50's in the north to low 70's in the southern portion of the state. More rain is forecast for Sunday.


Atlanta skyline on a rainy Friday morning, Dec. 28, 2007. (Dave Bender)

Click here for more GPB coverage of the drought and statewide water crisis.