U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lake Sidney Lanier

Hello Vann's Tavern visitors and happy Friday! The new restroom is installed and open after being destroyed by a storm last year. But, for visitors at Lower Pool West, the restroom is closed due to plumbing issues. We are working on it and will be reopened ASAP.

ATTENTION CAMPERS! Repairs have been completed at Old Federal Campground and it is ready to open for the remainder of the 2021 camping season!! However, we still must fill two Park Attendant Contractor vacancies in order to open the campground for the remainder of the season.... How can you help? If you (or someone you know) is interested in applying for this position, then please call, or have them call, the Lake Lanier Project Office at 770-945-9531 and ask to speak with Park Ranger Way. Solicitation for this position will begin April 6th, 2021 at 3:00pm and end April 13, 2021 at 11:00pm. *You must contact Park Ranger Way via Phone* Requirements for the position: Must provide your own camper 4 day rotating shift Must reside in the campground during your shift 2-person team

ATTENTION CAMPERS! We now have one Park Attendant Contractor vacancy for the 2021 season at Van Pugh South Campground. How can you help? If you (or someone you know) is interested in applying for this position, then please have them call the Lake Lanier Project Office at 770-945-9531 and ask to speak with Park Ranger Way. Solicitation for this position will begin February 11, 2021 at 2:30pm and end February 12, 2021 at 2:30pm. Requirements for the position: Must... provide your own camper 4 day rotating shift Must be 2 people Both must reside in the campground during your shift See more

Natural and recreational resources at the more than 400 USACE lake and river projects provide social, economic and environmental benefits for all Americans. The Recreation Fast Facts reports highlight some of the benefits related to USACE's role in managing natural and recreational resources in the U.S. Here is a direct link to the recreation report for Lake Lanier https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org//coll/p16021coll2/id/5904... And the link to the Institute for Water Resources main page: https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Value-to-the-Nation/

Trees are an important component to the ecosystem surrounding Lake Lanier. They help stabilize stream banks and shorelines, which reduces erosion and sedimentation into the lake. They provide food and cover for many species of wildlife. To many people they have an aesthetic value and provide a scenic appeal to a lake that has become more and more urban. The list of benefits from trees could go on and on. As the managing agency for Lake Lanier and the Government land that...Continue reading

Unfortunate update on Old Federal Campground: Recently, Old Federal Campground experienced multiple weather events including Hurricane Zeta (October 24th, 2020), micro bursts, and high water events. This has caused severe damage that greatly impacts public safety and the overall operation of the campground. As a result, Old Federal Campground will be closed for the 2021 Camping Season in order to make the necessary repairs.

US Army Corps of Engineers to Hold Deer Hunt Near Buford Dam The U S Army Corps of Engineers, Lake Sidney Lanier (Corps), will be conducting a quota deer hunt on lands around Buford Dam November 17-19, 2020. For public safety, the following areas will be closed during the hunt: the Laurel Ridge Trail, Sawnee Campground, West Bank Park, Lower Pool West Park, Lower Overlook Park, Lower Pool East Park, Buford Dam Park, East Bank Park, Lanier Park, Burton Mill Park, Van Pugh Sou...th Campground, and Chestnut Ridge Campground. This is an archery only, management hunt conducted for public safety and the overall health of the deer population in the Buford Dam area. Deer car collisions along Buford Dam Road is a public safety hazard that could be lessened from this hunt. In addition, food resources naturally decline during the winter months causing stress to the deer population. By reducing the number of deer, the food resources in the Buford Dam area will better meet the deer population needs. This is an annual hunt that has been conducted since 2010. Participation is limited and hunters must obtain a permit from the Corps and attend a safety meeting prior to hunting. The Corps continues to conduct deer population estimates and coordinate with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to ensure responsible wildlife management.

#USACEeducates Welcome to autumn! Leaves undergo the beautiful transformation from greens to reds, oranges, yellows, but what is really happening to the leaves as they turn? Leaves are green due to a chemical called Chlorophyll which helps the leaf absorb sunlight and turn it into nutrients for the tree. The fall colors begin to show when the leaves stop producing chlorophyll and the other colors that were previously overshadowed by the green are made visible. Do you have some unbe-leaf-able fall pictures? Feel free to share them in the comments! Extra links: https://youtu.be/Xk4-6II8l5Q

Happy new Fish Feature Friday! (yes I have been waiting a long time to use that one.) Adding on from last week talking about boat ramp and low water hazard depths updated every hour, the published Fish Habitat Structures are labeled with the depth calculated from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge at Buford Dam. But that's not all! AND depths are calculated for all of the Aids to Navigation. AND depth of water at the Courtesy Docks next to the ramps. AND clearances are ...calculated under bridges and powerlines. Use this info as a guideline as conditions can change due to wave action or rapidly developing weather. These elevation features are updated hourly from the provided data depending on gauge service availability and server maintenance. And as always, check conditions before heading out and wear your PFD! #watersafety One last thing, if you want to set your own fish structure at your favorite spot, call our office for conditions and a free permit at 770-945-9531. You have to option to NOT publish it so your secret squirrel fishing hole will stay secret squirrel and help improve overall aquatic habitat on the lake! Check out the map updates here: https://cesamusace.maps.arcgis.com//webappview/index.html #lakelanier #secretsquirrel #fishing Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Georgia DNR, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District

#USACEeducates I’m all about that BARK, that BARK, that Bark Did you know bark acts like the tree’s skin? Just like ours, it has multiple benefits. Protection: bark acts as a shield from the elements, fungal infection, insects and animal attacks. Habitat: bark offers shelter to many insects, spiders, lichen and small plants. Food: bark can be a pretty tasty snack for those animals who choose to make it part of their diets. So while bark may look rather boring on the surface, it brings biodiversity to the forests.

News about the new Brown's Bridge in Gainesville Times https://www.gainesvilletimes.com//browns-bridge-is-the-l/

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District wishes to advise the public that it is currently surveying and marking corner points of an existing flowage easement near Lake Sidney Lanier. The public may see or encounter USACE staff and survey contractors in the area known as easement Segment W for the next several weeks and into the first quarter of 2021 performing survey work. You may observe workers in the following vicinities: Lanier Springs Subdivision, Gwinnet...t County Old Sycamore Road, Gwinnett County Sycamore Road, Gwinnett County Richland Creek Subdivision, Sugar Hill, Gwinnett County Barrington Estates Subdivision, Sugar Hill, Gwinnett County River Rush Subdivision, Gwinnett County Links at Sugar Hill Subdivision, Sugar Hill, Gwinnett County Suwanee Dam Road, Gwinnett County Laurel Park Subdivision, Sugar Hill, Gwinnett County Lakeside Lane, Gwinnett County USACE thanks the public for its ongoing cooperation in our accomplishing of this effort. If you are a landowner with an easement on or adjacent to your property, we ask for your cooperation in allowing the surveyors access for the purpose of identifying and marking the easement line. As part of the survey process, corner markers will be installed at all locations where the easement lines make a turn. This will provide for a physical identification of the easements. What are our Easements? Historically, with the construction of Buford Dam and Lake Sidney Lanier, USACE acquired easements downstream of the emergency spillway. The easements provide the government with the perpetual right, power and privilege to occasionally overflow, flood and submerge the land within the easement. The emergency spillway would only be utilized to evacuate water from Lake Lanier if the lake elevation ever reached in excess of 1085 ft above mean sea level (msl). This water would travel through the easement land and return to the Chattahoochee River via Richland Creek. There has never been an occasion for the use of this spillway. The full summer elevation of Lake Lanier is 1071 msl and the elevation of record for Lake Lanier is 1077.15, which occurred on April 14, 1964. Regardless of historical need, however, USACE must maintain proper identification of these easements for public safety. For more information please contact the Lanier Project Management Office at 770-945-9531.

More news from Hydropower: the previously announced drawdown of the lake to elevation 1069.0 has been cancelled. The lake elevation is currently 1070.52 and we will continue under normal operating conditions.

Van Pugh North is open!!! https://cesamusace.maps.arcgis.com//webappview/index.html

Happy New Feature Friday! It's been a while since I've added something new to the Lake Lanier Nav Map, but there are a bunch of new improvements now. Imagery is clearer when zooming in and watershed boundaries are visible when zooming out, labels and symbols have been reconfigured to load faster when opening the app. And my favorite: up to date water depth calculations on boat ramps and low water hazards. This has already been in place, but this is a faster method for calcula...tions utilizing #GeoEvent from #Esri. Updates are provided every 60 minutes around the clock, pending #USGS gauge updates at Buford Dam and #USACE server maintenance. Remember, the low water hazard buoys are the single orange ball buoys that are placed during low water conditions. These spots are marked with an "X" on the map labeled with the calculated water depth. Note that these temporary buoys may have moved due to wave action or nefarious boaters. The depth label of the boat ramps on the map are calculated based on the deepest lane and will close during low water conditions. Closures could also be seasonal or for maintenance, please contact the office for additional info at 770-945-9531 or our website: https://www.sam.usace.army.mil//Recrea/Lake-Sidney-Lanier/ The rest of the map features with known elevations like bridges and courtesy docks will be added to this service soon. As always, wear your PFD and check conditions before heading out on the water! #watersafety Almost forgot, here is the link to the Lake Lanier Boating Navigation and Recreation App! https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html