The St. Andrew Rowing Club calls them "battle scars."

You can spot them easily on the club's expensive racing boats: patched holes and repaired rudders, all damage sustained from tree limbs and other debris exposed by the falling water levels on the Chattahoochee River.

In March and April, the river levels fell, the rowers said, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released less water into the Chattahoochee from Lake Lanier. The corps took that action at the request of state officials concerned about the condition of the drought-socked lake. The rowing club's troubles are another example of the reach of Georgia's historic drought, which extends past the Buford Dam on Lake Lanier to the people who depend on the river.

"It's tough on the athletes," said Peter Zakshevsky, the men's varsity coach for the club, which pulls its more than 100 rowers from middle and high schools across the Atlanta metro area. "It's even tougher on the equipment."

Because of the shallower waters, Zakshevsky said, the club also has been forced to cut short its practice runs between St. Andrew Catholic Church in Roswell and the Morgan Falls Dam. The reduced releases from the lake were expected to stop on April 30, according to the corps, but state officials signaled last month that they would probably ask the federal government to continue them. Meanwhile, Zakshevsky is worried what will happen if the Army Corps goes forward with a proposal on June 1 to continue reducing releases from the lake.

"That's going to kill us," Zakshevsky said. "If they reduce the amount of water released from the dam, that is really going to cut our practices down."

Corps officials caution that even if they cut the amount of water they let go through the Buford Dam on June 1, they would still have to meet long-standing requirements for minimum water flows downstream to take in treated wastewater discharged into the river. The corps also releases water from Lanier for a variety of other needs downstream, including power generation and to support two species of mussels protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Not everyone is complaining. The lower releases from the lake have been a welcome sight for the boating industry on Lanier, said Bill Sommerfield, vice president of Lazy Days Marina in Buford.

"It's great. Even without rain, the lake has been going up steadily. That is a plus for us," said Sommerfield, who is also president of the Marine Trade Association of Metropolitan Atlanta, which represents marinas, boat dealers, dock builders and boat insurance companies.

Bill Odrey has been struggling on both sides of the Buford Dam. From his Chattahoochee Outfitters/Shoot the Hooch store in Roswell, he rents out kayaks and canoes for use on the river. He also operates paddle-wheel boats for sightseeing tours, parties and other events on the Chattahoochee and Lake Lanier. The drought, however, has made potential customers think the lake and river are too low to navigate, Odrey said.

"It has been devastating," he said of the effect on his business.

But the waters are navigable, he insisted. To prove it, Odrey, who goes by the nickname "Captain Billy," guided his restored Spirit of Roswell paddle-wheel boat from Azalea Park in Roswell south to Morgan Falls Dam one day late last month. With its shallow draft, the boat made the round-trip journey without getting stuck once, though Odrey had to be careful to avoid numerous exposed tree branches and sandbars. He pointed to the wild azaleas growing along the shores, an osprey gliding overhead and some herons standing statuelike in the shallow waters.

As Odrey steered his boat downstream along Roswell's banks, a pair of men paddling upstream in a canoe briefly floated alongside him. The men had rented the canoe from Odrey earlier in the day. As if to prove Odrey's point, one of the canoeists said he expected the river to be in worse condition based on the news media's coverage of the drought. The other rower wondered aloud about how quiet the river was on that beautiful, sunny weekday.

"I'm surprised," said Antoine Haywood of Atlanta, "we are the only ones out here."

 ELIZABETH LANDT / Staff
RIVER WOES 
The St. Andrew Rowing Club has been struggling with low water levels on the Chattahoochee River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing less water from Lake Lanier into the river at the request of state officials because of the drought. 

Graphic highlights the part of the Chattahoochee River used by the St. Andrew Rowing Club. Inset map outlines area of detail relative to Fulton County and metro Atlanta.