Today a grassroots effort to reform current management practices of Lake Sidney Lanier was announced in the way of the 1071 Coalition. Named for the feet above sea level at which Lake Lanier should be in the summer recreation season, the coalition is comprised of community leaders, business owners, chambers of commerce, residents and other citizens in the Lake Lanier area concerned with the preservation of the lake’s water levels and its impact on the region’s economy.

“Three and a half million people and businesses depend on Lake Lanier for water supply and their livelihoods,” said Grier Todd, COO, Lake Lanier Islands Resort and President of the 1071 Coalition. “Millions more depend on the lake for recreation. Recent water management practices are hurting Lanier’s ability to meet our water supply and recreation needs,” he said.

The Coalition has set out to reverse the management practices of the lake through three initiatives:

1. Commission a study on the impact of Lake Lanier on the area economy.

2. Urge our federal and state officials to give this issue their highest priority in the best interests of Georgians, including the commissioning of studies that determine the actual needs of endangered species and minimal flow requirements throughout the system.

3. Serve as a voice in the public relations fight between the states

“Businesses are hurting – even closing, and residents are losing property values,” said Kit Dunlap, President and CEO, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of the 1071 Coalition. “Local governments have implemented appropriate conservation measures and emergency operating measures. Business and local governments are doing our part, because we are feeling first-hand the devastating impact of the lake’s low levels.”

Through proper management, Lake Lanier would not be in its present state of historically low levels, according to the coalition. “This lake lost a great deal of storage in October and November of last year,” said Alex Laidlaw, Vice President, Operations of Westrec Marinas and Coalition Board member. “Excessive releases were seven times greater than the natural in-flow; those releases could have supplied metro Atlanta’s water needs for well over a year.”

Part of the public relations battle in which the Coalition hopes to gain ground is debunking the myths regarding Atlanta’s water consumption and how reducing flows from the lake will impact other interests downstream. “Our neighboring states are incorrect when trying to lay blame on Atlanta’s population growth,” said Wilton Rooks, Vice President, Technical Programs with the Lake Lanier Association and Coalition Board member. “Metro Atlanta consumes just one to two percent of the water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) basin above the Florida line.”

Ninth District Congressman Nathan Deal, a supporter of the 1071 Coalition, believes the flows can be reduced without threatening downstream users. “Many diverse stakeholders within the basin are in agreement that there is sufficient water in the ACF basin to meet reasonable needs without causing harm to the environment or to the various users,” said Congressman Deal. “We must push for alternative operating plans to manage our waters more effectively.”

The 1071 Coalition plans to be an active participant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers update to Lanier’s water control plan. “The water control plan needs to maximize the ability of the lake to refill to provide a cushion in times of drought, which have become much more frequent and severe in recent years,” said Rooks. “Considering Lake Lanier has a small watershed and is slow to fill, the Corps needs to conserve as much storage as possible at the top of the ACF system.”

The 1071 Coalition will hold its kick-off reception and membership drive on December 9, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at Legacy Lodge and Conference Center on Lake Lanier Islands. For more information, please visit www.1071Coalition.org.