Corps representative gives 1071 Coalition members status on Water Control Manual Update
Nearly 200 people packed a meeting room at Lake Lanier Islands on June 3 to hear from Jerry Barnes, Special Assistant and Director of the Southeast Water Manual Update for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The 1071 Coalition held the public forum so its members could better understand how the Corps will update its current operations of the lake.
“Though the lake has risen fifteen feet since we launched the 1071 Coalition, we must keep our focus on encouraging responsible and equitable management of the lake for the long term,” said Alex Laidlaw, Treasurer of the coalition and Vice President for Westrec Marinas. “We need to keep an eye on the flows from Buford Dam, because we can’t go back to what we endured for most of the last two years.”
Since the Corps is the managing body of Lake Lanier, impacting its Water Control Manual Update is the primary goal of the 1071 Coalition. The coalition asked Barnes to keynote the forum and answer questions from coalition members and guests.
“We’re not attempting to resolve all the conflicts or long-standing controversies of the water wars,” said Barnes. “We’re just trying to get a manual put together that says here is how we are going to operate the lakes as a system, given varying patterns of rainfall and drought that could occur in different proportions in that system.”
1071 Coalition commissions economic impact study
An initial objective of the 1071 Coalition is to determine the economic impact of Lanier’s low levels on the region and state. This information will be useful to inform the debate about the economic consequences of maintaining the lake at certain levels during its peak season. At a forum held on June 3, 1071 Coalition members and guests heard from Ken Bleakley of the Bleakley Advisory Group as he presented the scope of the coalition-funded economic impact study. On behalf of the team which also includes PBS&J and Dr. Bruce Seaman, Bleakley gave a preview of some of the initial data gathered, such as:
- There are more than 10,000 employers within the immediate Lake Lanier area
- Most of them are private sector businesses
- Nearly 1,000 are government and non-profit entities
- Nearly 140,000 people work within the immediate Lake Lanier area
- More than 200,000 people are living in the immediate Lake Lanier area
- An 87% increase from 2000
- A 102% increase from 1990
Additionally, 215 area businesses employing nearly 1,900 persons are directly engaged in marine-related, lodging and amusement and recreation services. These businesses have estimated combined annual sales of $145.7 million. More than 2,400 additional businesses are engaged in home construction and related activities, employing 9,400 workers and generating annual sales of $1.1 billion. Most of these businesses are dependent to some degree on Lake Lanier.*
The economic impact study will be completed this fall.
* Source: Dun&Bradstreet |
