By Talia Mollett
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - Lake Allatoona is at capacity for the first time in nearly three years. Not since August 2005 has the lake, which was at 840 feet Sunday, been at full summer pool. It is not expected to be at the same level for Labor Day, however.
"That number will be managed down by then," said Ron Papaleoni, general manager for the Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority.
Papaleoni said that for the past 10 years, Lake Allatoona averaged around 835 by summer's end. Papaleoni said there's no way of predicting the lake level then.
"There are many factors that will determine where we will be this year," he said. "I am forever the optimist, so I hope we can maintain our average."
The lake level, which is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, has steadily increased since January - when it was down to 818 feet. The lake's winter level is 823 feet.
"There's nothing normal about where we are now," he said. "I can't remember when we were at 840 unless there was a huge amount of rain."
The good news, Papaleoni said, is the Corps is continually updating its releases from the lake through bi-weekly conference calls. The next scheduled conference call is Wednesday.
"The Army Corps of Engineers has done a better job of managing its resources," Papaleoni said.
But the fight to maintain a full pool at Lake Allatoona is not over for the season. Lake Allatoona is the headwater for a system that feeds into Alabama, he said.
"We still have to deal with the folks over in Alabama, and that's where we have a problem," he said. "If we are still in the same drought we are right now, then we're going to have an issue."
Allatoona Lake was built in 1950 for flood control, recreation and power generation. Forty percent of the water used in Cobb County comes from the lake.
tmollett@mdjonline.com
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So why doesn't the whole metro area take water out of Allatoona and stop taking it out of Lanier for now? As I understand it the two systems are tied together and can transfer water between each other.
Last November, the governor held a public prayer service to end the drought. The prayers were heard, and the prayers answered, but there were a lot of protesters shouting about seperation of Church and state and establishing, and a bunch of other stuff the fringe groups are very vocal about. Strange, you don't see those people on their soap boxes now, now that the lake is full.