I think the easiest way to look at the interests are two groups - the ones who want to conserve more water in Lanier, and those who want to keep the river full. The lanier group is pretty much North Georgia because it is our water supply as well as a recreational spot and economic driver for the area.

The biggest downstream interests are power plants which require huge flow, and wildlife interests which pretty much share the same interest as power plants except where the power plants consume water (instead of returning it to the river). Other downstream interests are farms, municipalities, industrial users, etc which could all live with lower flow rates.

I believe all the other downstream interests would at least grudgingly work on a compromise if we could get past the power plant and fish and wildlife concerns.

Of course you are right - we are sending water downstream for other uses. Therefore the huge difference in rough numbers - 3 years of water for Atlanta metro or 90 days of water for everybody downstream who wants it also.

Thanks for the numbers and suggested burn rate. My thoughts are that the water still has to go down stream to other communities. So perhaps we have both a metro “burn rate” and “flow through rate” to other communities.

It’s not been easy identifying and distinguishing all the players and data. The water and its usage have so many interdependencies.

We face “running out of water” every year in the sense that we drain the lake every year. At the lake’s low point, we have a smaller number of days of water remaining.

I think you are forgetting inflow. The 500 million gallon use is a little more than inflow to Lanier is. Figure maybe 350 million gallons per day inflow - then you should use a burn rate of 150 million gallons / day instead of 500. Just using rough numbers off the top of my head but that would triple your figures and give over three years of water for this area before dead pool. Still not a comfortable figure, but I like three years a lot better than 90 days.

>>The gated, lake-club resort of Marina Bay is nestled along a majestic shoreline of secluded coves and panoramic, deep-water vistas on Lake Lanier, a 39,000-acre water amenity with 692 miles of preferred shoreline. Featuring 3.5-miles of waterfront luxury, a 280-slip marina, an award-winning 14,000-square-foot Lake Club, and residences from the $500’s to $3-million-plus, the new-home community of Marina Bay is Lake Lanier Real Estate at its finest! <<

I don’t live in the area and know nothing about Atlanta real estate values but find it hard to believe that there is still a market for $500,000 properties on Lake Lanier. Or are people just ignoring the bad news?

Divide the gallons remaining by the daily avg consumption rate and you have the total days remaining.

If we assume the earlier figure of 500 million gallons for metro Atlanta (as mentioned by rkolter), then we have 321 days left IF we did not have to send more water downstream to the other communities who also need the water.

The Lanier dead pool contains 565 days of raw water for metro Atlanta, if we process and use half of that (ie. the cleanest portion). It means 282 days of dead pool water for metro Atlanta.

CHECK my number and calculations. I am looking to collaborate and test-proof my information and understanding. I welcome corrections.

Weeeeird.

Even if the desire was there, it’s just too easy to break a secret that big. I don’t buy it.