Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier) is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee River. The lake encompasses 38,000 acres (15,000 ha) or 59 mi2 (150 km2) of water, and 692 mi (1,114 km) of shoreline at normal level, a "full pool" of 1,071 ft (326 m) above mean sea level and the exact shoreline varies by resolution according to the coastline paradox. Named for Confederate veteran and poet Sidney Lanier, which has caused recent renaming controversies and public debate. It was built and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and water supplies. Its construction destroyed more than 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) of farmland and displaced more than 250 families, 15 businesses, and relocated 20 cemeteries along with their remains in the process. It is patrolled by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR), as well as local law enforcement. The states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida all have rights to the water of the reservoir, as it feeds rivers going through those areas. The Corps of Engineers has responsibilities to regulate flow for flood control and water use. In addition, it has to ensure that water is available to fulfill such federal mandates as under the Endangered Species Act, to support downstream species. The rapid suburbanization of the Atlanta region, in particular, has greatly increased water consumption by private homeowners for lawns and gardens. During droughts of the 21st century, Lake Lanier reached record lows, and regional actions have been needed to reduce state water usage in the area.
Geography The lake is in Hall, Forsyth, Dawson, Gwinnett, and Lumpkin counties, split about 60%, 30%, 5%, 4%, and 1%, respectively, filling the valley into numerous small arms and fingers. The former thalweg of the Chestatee and the Chattahoochee south of it form the county line between Hall and a corner of Gwinnett to the east, and Dawson and Forsyth counties to the west. The land that now sits at the bottom of Lake Lanier was, before the 1950s, forest and farmland. Before the lake was completely filled, construction crews felled the treetops, leaving tall stumps to remain, in some areas, not far beneath the lake's surface. One of the main purposes of the lake is flood control of the Chattahoochee River downstream, mainly protecting metro Atlanta. Since the construction of Buford Dam, only three major flooding events have occurred on the downstream section. The most severe flooding event was in 2009, following a two-year drought; the most recent was in 2013.
Prior history Prior to the construction of the reservoir in March of 1950, the town of Oscarville occupied a part of the current location of the lake. Oscarville was a small Black community and the site of a racial expulsion, resulting in the forced displacement, after a series of violent events, of all 1,098 black residents from Forsyth County by the white residents in 1912. Following the alleged assault of two white women and the subsequent lynching of a Black man named Rob Edwards who was accused of being involved in the crime, white mobs terrorized black families through arson, intimidation, and property destruction. Within weeks, nearly all Black residents fled Forsyth county abandoning their homes and property that were later absorbed into white ownership. Decades later, the remnants of the town were purchased by the government and flooded to create the lake.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
