Drought

[i386]

I don't know how far this news makes it but we're in a bad drought here. I live about 2 minutes from West Point Lake. There's a couple houses on my street with a dock if that tells you how close. The lake is lower than I've ever seen it and not far from record low. Everyone's docks are sitting on dry red clay. Most of the boat ramps are unusable. The ramp I normally use it completely dry and it's about 15' of dirt before you get to the water. The no wake zone buoy will high and dry very soon. We're on pretty harsh watering restrictions right now. Atlanta is in pretty bad shape too with Lake Lanier nearing record lows as well. From the photos Bassboy1 posted I think he's in similar shape either on Lanier or Lake Allatoona. Anyway, I didn't think you guys knew how bad it was so I thought I'd bring this up.

 

[DJ]

Re: Drought

Logan-Martin is very low too. Lanier feeds the Coosa River which winds down to L-M.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Drought

Hey I386

Well here in north east Bama, our lakes and rivers are looking pretty ugly. I also see allot of boat houses and pears on what's now dry land. We did have a gully washer come through last night, that is the hardest is has rained in months around here. I can just picture what my favorite fishing spots look like sense I haven't been out on the water sense before the drought. My uncle owns a business down by Logan Martin, I haven't talked to him lately but I'm sure DJ is right on the money about the situation down there.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Drought

Yep, I am up here on Lake, er um, Pond Allatoona. We are drastically low here. Normal full pool is 840 feet above mean sea level. Normal winter pool is 17 feet low, or 823 feet. As of Wednesday, the lake is at 819 feet, and dropping. The record low for the lake was 816, and that was back in 1961. Only 2 ramps are open, and we have upwards of 20 ramps, and folks with trailers for 19 foot or larger boats are having trouble launching at one of them. One of our ramps is going to be extended a few feet, but we have to wait until the end of that ramp is high and dry, so we can grout the slab to it. The other ramp that is open should be okay until then number wise, but one lane is nearing the end, and the other, which should extend far enough to gain us a few more feet, seems to have broken off, and fallen in the hole created by boat propwash. Makes a case against powerloading now doesn't it?
I may be able to post pictures later.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Drought

FOX 8 out of Cleveland reports on your conditions down there about twice a week. Sure does look bad, but like most situations it will end. Hopefully this winter will bring the much needed water to your area.

About 7 years ago, my local lake was down. It was so bad that the marina had to shut down. Many houseboats and other boats at the dock were sitting on a dry bottom. By spring the lake was back up to its normal level. One of the sad things is how it puts a lot of stress on the fish and wildlife. It takes a couple of years to re-establish the game.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Drought

I'm a couple of hours or so east of 386 and bb1. We've averaged about half our normal rainfall this year. We're in a "moderate" drought last I heard. Our lakes Kewoee, Jocasse, and Hartwell are all way down. But still accessible for the most part.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Drought

I'm just curious, what is a pretty harsh water restriction? what can you do and what can't you do? We don't have a water restriction here but the lakes are very low too. I've been seeing interesting stuff that I've never seen before such as long rows of submerged trees. All this time I thought they were just weed because there are so much weed surrounding them.

 

[JCF350]

Re: Drought

Logan-Martin is very low too. Lanier feeds the Coosa River which winds down to L-M.

Lanier is part of the Chattahoochee river

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattahoochee_River


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coosa_River

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Drought

Here in this part of NC we are in an exceptional drought,the worst rating they give.We are not allowed to use water outside period.Even got a letter from the governor that if anyone was caught washing cars,watering plants or anything our water would be turned off.They have people that ride through the neighborhoods 24/7 and have fined over 1000 people so far.The next step will be limiting each home to so many gallons per month.How they will enforce that i'm not sure.
There are so many big boats high and dry in the mud at lake Norman and lake Wylie they have been showing them on the news.It will be a ton of non winterized boats with cracked blocks come spring.I'm about 18 miles east of Charlotte and we have only had one good rain since July...

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Drought

No outside watering, and they are highly recommending using other water saving devices. Supposedly some tax breaks attached if you use them.

 

[i386]

Re: Drought

Here's some of my photos.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Drought

Wow, you should really take the opportunity to go around the lake with a digital camera and a hand held gps and record fishy looking spot like the root wad next to what appeared like an old road bed. Perfect time to set up brushpile, rockpile at the end of those clay points. That if you're a fisherman and wants honey holes to fish from for years to come.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Drought

How about a metal detector? I would consider this an opportunity to make structure for fish, look for things lost by the ramp..... I bet there are a few prop nuts hiding in the silt and a prop or two. Take advantage of it. As far as the water restrictions ........ you can always grow grass back and lawns are over-rated.

I have heard on the news that Atlanta may run out of water

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Drought

I thought the same thing here Bob about going out and looking for lost treasures, like rod and reels and other goodies. But I should of been the first one out on the water when it was lowered to its lowest point. I have a metal detector and I did take it up to my uncles land on the lake but found nothing, besides a float and I didn't find it with the detector. People have already taken advantage of the exposed banks of the lakes here it seem like. I just wished I had a jon boat to do some close to shore hunting. I helped a man recently get his 18HP running so he could take his jon boat out and search for arrow heads.

 

[Fish n Geer]

Re: Drought

Wow, you should really take the opportunity to go around the lake with a digital camera and a hand held gps and record fishy looking spot like the root wad next to what appeared like an old road bed. Perfect time to set up brushpile, rockpile at the end of those clay points. That if you're a fisherman and wants honey holes to fish from for years to come.

I live right next to a huge gravel pit lake.In the winter after christmas i would go around and collect a bunch of christmas trees place them out on the ice where i wanted them.Come summer time i had some nice crappie holes.My largest was 16 inch.Wish to this day i would have had it mounted.

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Drought

My sister lives in Dalton, GA and they are really really hurting for water.

Guys, if I could, I'd send some your way. It has rained for 3 out of the past 4 days and tomorrow we're expecting 2 to 4 inches of rain. Everything is an absolute soggy mess.

 

[jimyoung]

Re: Drought

What this country needs is a nationwide water project......new damns, new lakes, and a system of canals and pumping stations.....mapped out to follow the major highways.....each state to be responsible to build their portion using local contractors.....the whole system to be managed by a Govt( ugh) agency to insure price controls, elimanate corruption (wishful thnking)....the result? A 20 year project that puts anybody willing to work.... to work. The ongoing maint and repairs will employ thousands of people far into the future....and saves water from flooding in one part of the country and pumps it to a state that needs it..........comments?

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Drought

My 2 cents, I think with the growing population of the US that they are not concerned with new lakes and damns. They are more concerned about areas for sub divisions other living courters, new businesses, and so on. Population will keep getting bigger and water supply will most likely stay the same.

But it would be an ideal thing to have jimyoung, but it wont happen in my life time even though I not all that old.

Y'all have a good one going out of town for a day or so.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Drought

First off I'll say I really hate to see ya'll in a drought. Being a natural Texan I know a thing or two about droughts. This year has been amazing for us as far as rain is concerned, we had too much! It has been dry for a little while now and folks didn't know if we were gonna get enough rain for the winter cover crops to come on. Its been raining non stop since yesterday (about 30 hours or so) and more to come.

I kinda like Jims idea too but I have another thought to it. Why not build a basin or lake near the area that it goes into the ocean. We could then pipeline this back up North to be redistributed. It could either go in lakes or directly to waterplants for use. Expensive but do-able IMHO.

 

[heycods]

Re: Drought

I feel your pain guys, so I`m sending ya`ll some rain.