It's official -- Lake Lanier reaches full pool

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Editor's note: This story was published in October 2009.

Enlarge photo

Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com On April 2 this year, Lake Lanier was still quite low, but a summer and early fall of consistent rain has filled it back up.

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Ring a bell and cue drum roll, please. Lake Lanier is officially full. Make that "Full" with a capital "F."

The lake, hard hit by the drought, reached "full pool" of 1071 feet above sea level this past Wednesday for the first time since September, 2005. The level actually surpassed full pool and was recorded at 1071.01 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

At its low point on Dec. 28, 2007, the level of Lanier, metro Atlanta's largest source of drinking water, dropped to 1,050.79 feet, more than 20 feet below full pool.

Experts at the National Weather Service had predicted that Lanier would reach full pool by November, but recent heavy rain has boosted the lake's level by more than a foot.