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Coalition schedules public forum tonight about Lake Lanier
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1071 Coalition Forum about Lake Lanier

  • When: 6 tonight
  • Where: Legacy Lodge and Conference Center, Lake Lanier Islands

A Lake Lanier advocacy group plans to hold a public forum tonight to provide updates on a couple of key initiatives.

The forum is set to begin at 6 p.m. at Lake Lanier Islands’ Legacy Lodge and Conference Center.

Jerry Barnes, special assistant and director of the Southeast Water Manual Update for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is set to speak at the event sponsored by the 1071 Coalition.

Barnes, hired by the corps to lead the study, plans to update efforts on the operating manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin.

Area lake advocates have pushed hard for the update, as the current manual is 50 years old and the basin — particularly with Atlanta’s sprawling growth — has changed drastically over the years.

A question-and-answer session is scheduled to follow his presentation, said Kit Dunlap, the coalition’s chairwoman, who is also chief executive officer of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.

Also, the coalition plans to give an update on an economic impact study.

Dunlap has said the group "wants (a study) that is factual and takes into consideration recreation, water supply, power generation and the economic impact on surrounding counties."

The coalition had its kickoff meeting in December with the goal of ensuring that Lanier stays at healthy levels.

A two-year drought drained Lanier to a record low in December 2007, but the lake has risen to 1,066.15 feet above sea level as of Tuesday afternoon. Full pool is 1,071.