The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it plans to begin heavy releases from Buford Dam starting Thursday to bring down the level of Lake Lanier.
In a press release, Corps spokeswoman Lisa Parker said the lake should crest around 1075 on New Year's Eve. She said the heavy rainfall last week prompted the Corps to hold off on releasing water downstream.
“...releases from Buford Dam were curtailed on Dec. 22 to prevent further flooding and impacts downstream of the project,” said Parker. "Lanier has risen over 4 feet in the past few days and the lake is expected to peak at 1075.1 msl over the upcoming week."
At that level, the water is negatively impacting parks and other properties around Lanier. Some Corps-managed parks and boat ramps have been closed since Monday afternoon.
The level of Lanier as of 5:15 a.m. Wednesday was 1074.68.
