Georgia hasn't seen significant rainfall in more than a month, which has prompted state officials to impose mandatory water restrictions and declare a Level 2 drought in 52 counties.
The drought has caused concerns about how it could affect Georgia's lakes, including Allatoona Lake located in Cobb, Bartow and Cherokee County.
On Wednesday afternoon, Allatoona Lake's water level was at 832.70 feet MSL, which sits 7.30 feet below the full pool level of 840 feet MSL. On Nov. 23 last year, the water level sat at 836.22 MSL and 829.88 in 2014.
Below are Allatoona Lake's levels for Nov. 23 over the past six years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' data can be found here.
While the data shows the lake elevation is down, Glenn Page, the general manager for Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, said that the lake is in pretty good shape for this time of year looking at the rule curve used by the corps.
The “rule curve” determines the limits for the lakes’ water levels and Page said projections show levels will be above Allatoona's rule curve.
“We are paying particular attention to it; as Cobb’s water provider we can draw from Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier,” he said.
If the drought does continue, Page doesn’t expect Allatoona to be affected like Lake Lanier.
“Lanier is about 3-4 times the size, but the drainage basin is about the same. If we get an inch of rain, Lanier comes up 3 inches, Allatoona comes up about a foot,” he said.
Wednesday's latest readings for Lake Lanier water levels showed the lake at a water level of 1,060.95 feet below mean sea level at 4:15 p.m. Lake Lanier is 10.05 feet below its full pool level of 1,071 feet MSL.
On Nov. 23, 2015, the water level sat at 1,071.26 MSL and 1,067.33 the year prior in 2014. Here are Lake Lanier's levels for Nov. 23 over the past six years, based on corps data here.
Compared to the rule curve for Allatoona, Lanier's elevation level recently dipped below the rule curve.
“I am very concerned that we are going into a multi-year drought. But from a resource perspective, I am most concerned about Lake Lanier.”
Drought resources:
