If you are a fan of Lake Sidney Lanier, home of the 1996 Olympics rowing and sprint canoeing events, then you have to be thankful for the reason it exists… Buford Dam. HEREARETHEDAMFACTS Lake Lanier is a reservoir created in 1956 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by impounding the Chatahoochee River. This created a 39,000 acre lake with over 692 miles of shoreline and sits 1,071 feet above sea level when at full pool. The dam is 192 feet tall and 2,360 feet long. It has three earthen saddle dikes bringing its total length to 6,600 feet. Its original use was for flood control and hydropower, but also provides about 75% of the drinking water in the Northern Metro Atlanta area. 100 million gallons of water are withdrawn daily for human consumption and use(some reports claim more). That’s a lot of dam good water! It also produces 135+ megawatts of power during times of peak demand. That’s a lot of dam power! Flood control proved critical in 2004 when remnants of two major hurricanes saturated the 1,040 square mile basin, which refers to the topography around the lake that funnels all runoff rainwater into the lake. COOLFACT — Many areas were not cleared of huge trees prior to filling the lake. This in turn has created an underwater forest system in several areas below the surface of the water where trees are still standing. RECREATION Not only does the lake provide an excellent habitat for fish, deer, duck and other animals, it is one of the best water recreation areas in the state. Over 8 million people a year use Lake Lanier as their playground. There are 76 recreation areas with everything from boat ramps to full service campgrounds. 10 marinas and over 100 islands are also located here along with beaches, water parks, resorts and horseback riding. Buford Dam Road is a gorgeous drive with access to a few of those amazing waterfront campsites. One gorgeous primitive campground is Sawnee, located on the Forsyth County side of the lake and minutes from the Dam. It is an amazing place to spend quality time as a family. Overnight rates range from $ 18 to $ 32. RV sites are available with 30 to 50 amps of available power and water hook-ups on site as well. The site also has boat ramps, playgrounds, concrete parking pads, built-in grills and fire pits. Not to mention gorgeous views! Take a drive on Buford Dam Road, stop at one of the accessible waterfront parks or drive down river to one of the river tubing or kayaking facilities for some outdoor fun. THEVERDICT Just be sure to get off the dam river when Buford dam opens and releases over 350 million gallons of water each day! It’s enough water to make it extremely dangerous to be on the river during release times and you don’t want to be known as the dam fool who almost drowned on the dam river during the dam water release. That’s dam good advice!
