It looks like Christmas has come early for Georgia’s long-term water needs. Army Corps of Engineers documents released this week show the agency has granted state requests for 242 million gallons per day in gross withdrawals from Lake Lanier and releases from Buford Dam to support downstream withdrawals of up to 379 million gallons per day. The corps says it also is complying with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2013 order, which authorized 705 million gallons per day in withdrawals “without jeopardizing downstream needs,” Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesman Kevin Chambers said.