Lake Lanier

Metro Atlanta

Lake Lanier

The drought on Lake Lanier continues.

Two maps, one from 1974, the other from 2005, show changes around Lake Lanier. The blue area is water. The red? Any impervious surface, from rooftops to parking lots. The large red spot to the right of Lake Lanier: Gainesville.

Robert Fuller, professor at North Georgia College and State University, samples the water at aging Lake Lanier twice a month. His dataset, which dates back to 1987, shows what he calls a slow, steady increaseÿ⿿ÿ of pollution from development.

Robert Fuller, of North Georgia College and State University, examines a water sample from Lake Lanier. "It's every one of us who lives up here, including me," Fuller said regarding the lake's steady pollution. "We all contribute to it."

Earlier this month, during the southeast's extended drought, Lake Lanier's water level sank to 1064.93 feet, according to the National Weather Service forecast. That's about six-feet below normal for this time of the year.

Back in 2002, cartoonist Cal Warlick even tried to call attention to Lanier's low water levels.

One of several grist mills that were located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. The location, at the mouth of Six Mile Creek in Forsyth County, is now inundated by 50-year-old Lake Lanier.

A view of the lake-front homes now crowding Lake Lanier.

A view of the lake-front homes crowding Lake Lanier. Periodically, algae blooms have been discovered in some of its coves. Enough algae could turn Lanier's blue waters into a pea-soup green and produce a distinct decline in drinking water's taste and odor.

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Sandy beaches are uncovered as Lake Lanier's water level continues to sink. At 50, the lake is starting to show its age -it was even placed on the federal list of impaired waterways for the first time.

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