Q: Who checks the water at Lake Lanier for contamination? — Barbara Turner, 
Newnan

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Q: Who checks the water at Lake Lanier for contamination?

— Barbara Turner, 
Newnan

A: The Watershed Planning and Monitoring Program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Watershed Protection Branch monitors Lake Lanier and five other lakes once a month from April through October, said Kevin Chambers, a spokesman for the Georgia EPD. The Georgia EPD collects depth profiles of water quality parameters including dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, temperature and conductivity, in addition to depth-integrated water samples throughout the photic zone, the layer of water in which daylight penetrates. It also collects a grab surface sample that is analyzed for fecal coliform, Chambers said. In addition to the lake sampling, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects monthly samples at the major tributaries of the state’s six standard lakes.

Q: The 1810 Federal Road that started in the old state capital of Milledgeville and went into the new southwest followed the path of what present day roadways?

— Robert Abney,
Stone Mountain

A: The road currently follows Georgia Route 49 from Milledgeville to Macon, said Bob Wilson, a history professor at Georgia College and State University. In Macon, the route entered the lands of the Lower Creek Indians, heading toward the Chattahoochee River south of Columbus, according to a New Georgia Encyclopedia article referenced by the Georgia Historical Society. You will find historical markers in Chattahoochee, Marion and Taylor counties that indicate the route, which was used until the 1830s and 1840s, when railroads were laid out for travelers heading west, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).