The Lake Lanier Association is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to slow down as it drains the lake as part of its high water plan. As Lake Lanier inches close to 1,074 feet above sea level after weeks of rain, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened the gates and is draining water 24 hours a day from Buford Dam into the lower Chattahoochee River basin. At 1,074 feet, the lake is about 3 feet above its full summer pool.