Stone Mountain wants to revive snow hill

Attraction would use lake, not DeKalb’s water supply

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Gerald Rakestraw thinks Stone Mountain can take a half-inch of lake water and turn it into hill of frozen fun. And the amusement park can do it, he says, without taking a drop from the region’s depleted water supply.

[ Post your comments below. ]

John Spink / jspink@ajc.com

Stone Mountain vice president of marketing, Sonny Horton tossed a snowball as the park prepared for its Snow Mountain last year. The park scrapped the idea in 2007 because of the area’s drought. It plans to revive the idea this year, using water from its lake, rather than from the DeKalb water reserves.

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Stone Mountain is considering reviving a proposal that last year dried up — to create Snow Mountain, a downhill snow slope on the lawn not far from where Confederate generals chiseled in rock keep an eternal vigil. This time, say Stone Mountain officials, they’d take water from its lake, not DeKalb’s water reserves.

“The idea of creating a winter wonderland park is pretty unique,” said Rakestraw, the park’s vice president and general manager.

Last year, it turned into a pretty hot topic. After the park announced plans to create a slope on the laser lawn behind Memorial Hall, drawing water from DeKalb’s supplies, critics pointed out that the region was snared in a deepening drought. Using water to create snow, they argued, was wasteful. Stone Mountain officials shelved the proposal.

Earlier this year, they pulled it out and took a harder look at the idea, said Rakestraw.

The park is considering pumping water from 350-acre Stone Mountain Lake, converting it to snow with specialized machinery. The process would begin in November or December, with the spectacle opening in January and running through February, a traditionally slow period at the park.

The snow field would begin at Memorial Hall’s deck, which looks out on Stone Mountain, and cascade downhill for about 400 feet. The 175-foot-wide attraction could accommodate 10 lanes of people bumping along in inner tubes.

By April, the site would be clean, and the park’s signature evening laser show would begin again, as it does in spring.

Engineers estimated that the $5 million effort would use 3 million to 4 million gallons of water — about a half-inch dip in the lake’s depth. As the snow melted, drains would funnel the water back to the lake, Rakestraw said. Hydrologists also figured the park would lose between 6-7 percent of the water to evaporation.

According to the experts, the park would return 90 percent of the water to the lake, Rakestraw said.

Using lake water is one of the latest ideas the park has embraced to reduce its consumption, said Rakestraw. It has installed waterless urinals throughout the 3,200-acre park, fixed leaky pipes and recently constructed a “porous” parking lot that absorbs rainwater. Officials say the park this year reduced its water consumption by 25 million gallons.

The latest proposal is not a done deal, Rakestraw said. Stone Mountain officials will announce in a few weeks whether to go forward with Snow Mountain, he said.

Stone Mountain can get into the snow-making business as soon as it wants, said Lori Routzahn of Dacula. Tagging along with friends on the opening day of Stone Mountain’s Yellow Daisy Festival, Routzahn said she thinks Snow Mountain is a great idea.

“I mean, we don’t ever get snow down here,” said Routzahn, who has a 6-year-old, Daniel. “The children would love it.”

Georgia ought to get a dose of snow, agreed Paul Stepney. Thursday afternoon, he and his wife, Kris Stepney, paused to admire that warm, green lawn that would be turned into chilled, white playground.

“I think it would be a lot of fun,” said Stepney, who gets frequent doses of snow at his home in Plainfield, Conn. “People down here don’t get to see snow all that often.”

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Comments

By Melissa

Sep 10, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this

I am so glad to hear that Snow Mountain may be back on. I had purchased advanced tickets last year and our family was saddened to hear that it wasn't going to happen. Of course I am glad to hear they have come up with a better plan to obtain water this time around. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! Sure wished it could be here in time for Christmas though.

By fred

Sep 6, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this

read the comment about the company that furnishes snow- i have been to those-- they put it where you want it and keep it nice and pretty--cost is alot less than what it seems this idea would cost--i have seen it at an amusement park- done by this company- seems to be a big hit-- aave the lake water and money-- who loses on this??

By rachel

Sep 5, 2008 3:57 PM | Link to this

Well, the lake is so polluted we haven't been able to swim there for years. I guess if they could use it for SOMETHING, that would be logical. And I wouldn't hate a snow hill.

By Buddy

Sep 5, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this

There is a company in south GA, Adel Ice Company, that has been providing snow for all sorts of public events for years. They have the ability to mobilize to basically anywhere and provide tons of snow for a very reasonable price. For the price you all have spent, I am sure Adel Ice could have provided a huge amount of snow for many years for your park.

By AATL

Sep 5, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this

Hooray! Give us Snow Mountain!

By W

Sep 5, 2008 1:01 PM | Link to this

Kate, the same reason that the Buckhead billionares who are drilling wells to water their grass aren't sharing - - it belongs to them and they aren't worried about the rest of us.

By jtsnow71

Sep 5, 2008 12:35 PM | Link to this

kate-
speaking of water, you glass is half empty isn't it?
and by the time the infrastructure was put in place to utilize that water for the region the drought would be long gone. besides, getting more water isn't the solution, using less of our existing municipal supply sources is.

By jtsnow71

Sep 5, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this

kate-
speaking of water, you glass is half empty isn't it?

By patty

Sep 5, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this

As long as the water gets back to the lake it would be great that Georgia families could enjoy the only thing that they miss from upstate.

By patty

Sep 5, 2008 10:37 AM | Link to this

As long as the water gets back into the lake it would give the families of Georgia about the only thing that Georgians would miss of upstate.

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