Margaritaville at Lanier Islands will no longer allow visitors to swim in the lake area by the beach due to safety concerns.

"While we understand that this may be disappointing for some, we believe it is the right decision to maintain a safe environment for all our guests to enjoy and will allow us to put added focus on other parts of the park to offer a better overall experience for all our water park guests," Margaritaville officials said in a statement. "The beach area will remain open for lounging and relaxing, and we hope you will still take advantage of this space to soak up the sun and enjoy the beautiful surroundings."

Lake Lanier is one of the most visited lakes with 12 million enjoying its waters annually. It's also the site of several drownings each year. Last year, a 19-year-old man drowned about 30 yards off shore while swimming at Margaritaville over Memorial Day weekend. 

A fence has been installed along the shoreline. The only area where lake access will remain open is the Aquatic Adventure Wibit Attraction, which is being expanded to include more inflatable attractions. 

Bucky Perry, vice president of Margaritaville, declined to explain the specific safety concerns. Perry did describe some of the renovations underway before the water park opens fully for the summer. 

One of the water park's most popular attractions, the wave pool, will now be shallower at the deep end, which used to be 8 feet but will now be 5 foot, 9 inches. And instead of just a couple wave patterns, the wave pool will feature as many as a dozen. 

The park is also bringing back the splash bucket by the LandShark Bar & Grill, though without the water guns. Other renovations include the Aquatic Adventure, Parakeet Springs kids' zone and the new Parrot Mountain summer tubing slide.