Lake Lanier’s biggest gain since I started this blog
Lake Lanier rose nearly six inches yesterday, the largest single-day rise since I started this blog last October. The USGS counted 0.65 inches of rain yesterday at Buford Dam, but others have seen totals over 2 inches (in the comments).
All in all, we’re still running a little below the normal pace for the year, but we’re doing a bit better than this time last year. However, Lanier is still much lower than it was at this time last year, so we could use a few more soaking storms.
If you measure rainfall at your house, how much have you seen in the last few days?
March 16th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I ended up with 2.7 inches at my house in Gainesville. A virtual river of water was flowing behind my back yard and cut a gulley into the dry lake bottom about five feet deep and ten feet wide in areas. It cut under my dock and my neighbor’s and would have swept away anything that wasn’t securely tied to them including his pontoon boat which is landlocked on his dock.
As much rain as I got, I was hoping for a better gain. If everyone got what I did, the lake would proabably be up two feet. I don’t think this year has been below average for rainfall at my house. Depends where you measure, but we’ve been pretty wet so far. Particularly in March.
March 16th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Lake Lanier, Atlanta’s primary water supply has achieved a 55 inch rise in pool level and 140k acre feet of additional storage since it’s low point on 28 Dec. This is still 3 meters or 10 feet below the level of last July 1st. The lake is also 4.5 meters or 15 ft below the normal summertime pond level.
Lake Lanier is rather unique. It has a 1040 Sq mile watershed and a normal pond surface of 73 Sq miles. This provides a ratio of about 14 to 1, this is the probably the lowest ratio of any major water supply in the country. The watershed has an avg. annual rain fall of 60 to 80 inches, which is the highest of any area outside of the Northern Pacific coast. The Atlanta Metro area is 50 to 60 inches. The high annual rain fall is due to the rising elevation or steep gradient of the watershed terrain.
Since Jan 1st Buford Georgia, The dam site has received 10.2 inches of rain and Gainesville Georgia, on the southeast central coast of the lake has received 12.9 inches of rain. Gainesville received 31.7 inches of rain in 2007, 39.7 in 2006 and 52 in 2005. This amount of rain in any other watershed would be sufficient to maintain normal pond level for most any other lake. Perhaps future normal rain fall in the coming months can achieve last July’s pool level.
March 16th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
BGAWWKK! It takes a few days for rainfall to make it into Lanier.
RICHS I WILL NOT BE DENIED
March 16th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
C.L. - seems the pattern is a large gain the day of a rain and a smaller gain the next day. That’s about all we get from one rain though maybe some of the groundwater sources probably replenish with each rain.
And it’s very childish - this need of yours to be the top poster. (I think this post should put me back at the top though. HAH!!! Lol)
Good post Dip. The only thing you are missing is what demand is put on this watershed. i.e. not only is the small watershed maintaining the lake, but two states that are hundreds of miles away are making demands on the rain that falls here.
March 17th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Also remember folks, this is the time of the year we EXPECT the lake to refill. It has refilled this time every year except one, since the creation of the lake - even in every previous drought. That it does so now too is hardly special.
I wish it were, and stand by my 5.5 foot gain prediction.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:03 am
You know what, we’re only 3/4 of a foot from my 5.5 foot gain prediction, and that was through June 1st. We may well surpass it.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:27 am
This rain yesterday (3/19) dropped 1.49 inches at my house in Gainesville. We are showing a meager .28 gain today in the lake level (3.36 inches). Not a bad one day gain, but I was hoping for twice as much. We would have to get more than fifty days of that to get back to full pool.
Hope you enjoyed our lake while it washed past you into the ocean Florida.
March 25th, 2008 at 5:48 am
Well It looks like the lake level is up 5 foot 6.5 inches since Dec 28th.
March 25th, 2008 at 8:55 am
I’m glad to be wrong in my 5.5 foot prediction; let’s see how wrong I can be. My prediction was 5.5 feet by June 1st, when traditionally more water starts to be taken out than flows in.