Sep 2008 You are aware of the severe drought conditions that we are once again experiencing in Georgia. These conditions have resulted in low inflows into Lake Jackson from the Yellow, South and Alcovy rivers, as well as from smaller tributaries. In the absence of any significant rain, these inflows are expected to remain low or continue to decline. While we have been able to maintain the lake level at or near normal elevation to date, the continued decline of inflows will likely cause the lake level to drop. Last year, we were faced with the same situation and did not lower the water level. The low inflows and declining lake level necessitate the cancellation of the normal change to winter pool elevation also known as drawdown on Lake Jackson. This winter pool elevation drops the lake 3.5 feet from December through March each year. The decision not to change to winter pool means that many property owners who were planning on shoreline improvements or other maintenance projects will not have the certainty of lower water levels, and we regret this inconvenience to you. Georgia Power will hold as much water as possible this winter in an effort to better manage through the drought and hopefully allow all of us to enjoy a lake full of water next spring. Jackson Lake Management Office 404.954.4044, if you have any questions regarding this matter, or if we can assist in any way. June 2007 Due to the drought, the lake is down about 2 1/2 feet. Some larger/heavier boats are having touble getting out of their coves with only a foot of water to navigate in. The heavy rains in North GA either haven't gotten here yet, or were siphoned off to refill the larger lakes, like Lanier. We're looking for an update from GA Power soon. October 20, 2006 The current lake level is 528.91.' I am writing with some good news about the Lloyd Shoals Dam. Work should begin next week to make some changes to the trash gate. If you come by this way, you will probably see a big crane and a barge located at the dam and various ongoing activities related to this project. The plan, as I understand it, is to cut out the concrete lip that is currently at the top of the gate. Also, the gate currently has to be raised vertically. The raising mechanism has often been damaged by trees and/or debris that hang up in the mechanism. The gate will be modified so that it hinges from the bottom and this means it then will be lowered over to a horizontal position versus raising it vertically. These changes should result in fewer maintenance problems and will allow water to pass more freely through the gate. The project will utilize stop logs around the trash gate to keep water out while the work is underway. The engineers do not foresee having to alter the lake level. This means we are still planning for summer pool through end of November, winter pool starting first to mid-December. If something unanticipated happens to change this, we will keep you advised. Please remember that our normal mode of passing water downstream is through the six turbines in the powerhouse in order to generate electricity. Hydropower is a very clean, efficient, and reliable source of energy. Opening the gate (old or new) means we are having to pass the water downstream with no electricity being generated from that water. While this new gate should be a real improvement when we need to use it; it will not change the way in which we operate the dam to maximize the use of the water for electricity. October 10, 2006 It has been a long time since lake levels have been reported. We have been so blessed this summer with a full lake that there has not been much to report. But we are starting to get calls asking when the lake will go down, and we have heard some rumors about the level, so we wanted to contact you now about that. The plans at this time are to drop the lake to the normal winter pool level starting the week after Thanksgiving Day weekend. It normally takes about 2 weeks to lower it, so that would put us at the winter pool of 525,' which is 3 1/2' below the summer pool of 528.5,' sometime around mid-December. We would stay at winter pool until mid-March, when we would start to raise the lake back to summer pool around April 1. The winter pool level was designed to drop the lake to hold the additional rainfall that typically occurs in Georgia during the wetter winter/spring months. If we do receive heavy rainfall events, the lake will fluctuate above that winter pool level until we can drop the level back down. The lower level affords homeowners the chance to make repairs to their shoreline structures. If you do plan to make repairs, modify existing structures, or build new structures, you may want to start planning now. Please remember to contact our office to get a permit prior to starting any work. We go to the site to look at most permit requests, so the more advance notice that you can give us, the better we can accommodate your project. Remember that the lake level is very dependent on weather. Also, Georgia Power reserves the right to raise or lower the lake as needed for power generation and to perform any necessary work on the dam. As we get closer to lowering the lake and into the winter months, we will try our best to keep you informed of any changes in the lake level. Also, please work with us and remember to remove any swim buoys, swim lines, inflatable trampolines, slides, and other temporary structures from the lake. We have not required these to be removed during the summer months and have seen a great increase in their presence on the lake. We cannot allow these structures to remain on a permanent basis and there is no justification for leaving them through the winter months. If the homeowners will not voluntarily remove them, we will have to begin a program to remove them from the shoreline and may have to consider not allowing them during the summer. We very much appreciate your help and cooperation on this. Thank you and have a great and safe fall season on Lake Jackson. June 30, 2006 The current lake level this afternoon at 5:00 p.m. is 528.7. Don't forget about the boat parade on Tuesday, July 4. It starts at 8:30 p.m at Martin's Marina. Come join the fun. Remember to be safe on the lake this holiday weekend, there will be a lot of boaters out on the lake. June 21, 2006 The current lake level is 528.5' and is holding very well considering the very dry weather we are experiencing. We had a safe Memorial Day weekend, and the weekends since have been very busy, but we have not had any reports of accidents. Please continue to keep safety in mind when you are on the water. Terry Hall called to let us know he has had a boat stolen sometime between 7 pm this past Sunday night and Monday morning. He's had the boat since 1980. It is a 16' , Fish Master, 25 hp Mercury, Green in color, Registration Number GA0210JL. If you see this boat, or hear anything about it, please call our office (770-775-4753) or Terry requested we provide his numbers for you to call at 770.786.9934 (h), 770.922.0800 (w). Mar. 17, 2006 The lake level today is 528.57', which is right at the summer pool level. Our control center has confirmed that plans are to continue to operate at the summer pool level. We will operate at this current level until we begin to lower to the winter pool again in late November. Maintaining the summer pool is dependent on the weather systems, rainfall that we receive, and keeping the boards upright. Since we are now at full pool, more and more people will be out on the lake enjoying the spring weather. Please remember to wear your life jacket, obey the boating laws, and be safe on the water. Thank you and have a good day. Feb. 23, 2006 The current lake level at 5 pm is 526.03.' We have gained approximately 1/2 foot from this morning. We had a pretty heavy rainfall event in the drainage area of the lake yesterday evening and that has caused this increase in lake level. We are generating to release water out of the lake but all of that rainfall from yesterday has not gotten here yet. It will probably be through here by tomorrow unless we get more rain. Our plans are to follow our normal schedule and drop the lake back to the winter pool. Around mid-March we will begin to fill the lake to be at summer pool somewhere around April 1. At this time of year, Georgia normally gets a good deal of rainfall, so if we get significant rains, that can significantly alter this schedule. If you happen to know of anyone in the area who may have lost a yellow Lab and a black Lab mix, please contact us. Or if you happen to want a couple of good lake dogs, call us. Be safe, make sure your boats are tied up securely, and have a good day! Feb. 2006 Happy New Year to each of you. I have not written in a time because the lake level was pretty steady through the Holidays at the winter pool level of 525' and any fluctuations were minor. But we have had enough rain in the past week that the lake has gone up to almost the summer level of 528.5.' Today we are at 527.6' and the lake has been steady at that level all day. We are generating to bring the lake back to the winter level of 525.' We are at the time of year when typically we get more frequent rainfall; and that may affect how well we can get to and hold the 525.' The winter pool schedule calls for us to start filling the lake around mid-March to be full by April 1. Thank you to those of you who have made permitted improvements to your shoreline during the winter pool level, it has been a busy season so far. We have received our tree seedlings and they are available here in the office. We have a good selection at this time, including crepe myrtle, dogwood, willow, willow oak, river birch, red maple, white oak, and flowering crabapple. These tree seedlings are available to homeowners on the lake for planting. Come by our office if you would like some of these seedlings.

Water Level Control - GA Power After major storms, and significant rainfall caused by thunderstorms and hurricanes, a lot of debris is picked up by the river tributaries of Jackson lake, and floated downstream. Large flotsam, such as logs, become jammed in the "boards" at the top of the dam, which control the lake's water level. The only way of rectifying this is to lower the water level and send repairmen out to manually remove the jams. Below are two photos of what this task actually looks like. Click on Photo for larger version.      Newton County BOC vote strengthens regulations on firearms Revision to ordinance a response to growth as reported by Brittany Edwards in The Covington News Sunday, Feb. 26, 2006 Local officials are cracking gun down on unsafe firearm usage in response to an increase in reports of gunfire in subdivisions. Newton County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a revised Newton Coounty Firearms Ordinance Tuesday. In response to the population explosion, the new regulations now make it illegal to shoot any gun - a pistol, a BB gun, an air gun or other firearms - within 100 yards of any dwelling. The old ordinance was 350 feet. The newer, more specific set of laws makes it unlawful to shoot into a house, railroad train, boat, aircraft, motor vehicle or any building used for assembling people. It is also illegal to fire a gun on the property of another resident or across their property line without first getting written permisssion. The restrictions do set out a few exceptions to the rules. Certain exceptions apply to all levels of peace officers (no matter if they are on or off duty, or out of jurisdiction). Also for any person lawfully destroying an animal as permiited by the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources. Also for any person lawfully trying to defend a person or property. JACKSON LAKE LAW ENFORCEMENT DNR officers step up efforts to keep the lake safe Officers of the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources have increased efforts to provide a safe recreational area on and around Lake Jackson. Using pick-up trucks, boats and binoculars, the officers are targeting boating and recreational water craft for safety and equipment violations. Current boat registration, fire extinquishers, life vests, and other safety equipment is being checked as well as safe boat operation. Also high on the list is the abuse of any substance, including alcohol. They are watching areas of the lake where alcohol might be more prevalent. Boaters, as well as waterskiers, may be ticketed for "DUI", and criminal activity is also being carefully watched. The aim of this increased surveillance is to keep the lake, and the people who use it, safe and to provide an uneventful lake recreation experience.

January - April 2006
The lake will remain at Winter Pool level until about April 1, 2006. The level will fluctuate, depending on weather and rainfall, but will always return to the Winter Pool level until April.

Nov. 22, 2005
The lake level is currently 528.5,' and is about 0.4' higher than yesterday, due to all the recent rain. We are following the normal schedule for this time of year, which is to hold the lake as close as possible to the normal summer pool (528.5') until after the Thanksgiving weekend, and then drop to the winter pool of 525' after that. (This represents an approximate 3.5' drop in the lake elevation.) We list December 1 as the target date for winter pool, but, because we attempt to keep it normal through Thanksgiving, the Dec. 1 date is more of the "in progress" date, rather than the actual date we will reach winter pool level. As always, dropping this lake, as well as keeping it dropped, is very weather dependent. The main purpose of dropping to winter pool is to allow some additional capacity for holding the rain from the traditionally wetter months of the year to minimize the boards tripping. The date to go back to summer pool is on or around April 1, again, weather dependent.

If you are planning any construction type activities on the shoreline during the winter pool months, please contact our office prior to beginning work to get a permit. We must have a valid lease or license agreement in place for each homeowner to issue a permit.

The Jackson Lake Homeowners Association has their 4th quarter meeting planned for December 9th and a lake cleanup planned for December 10. Please support them in these efforts. Thank you for what you do to keep your shoreline looking good. Remember, you can burn this time of year with a burn permit from the county you live in. Numbers we have for each county are listed below:

Burn Permits
Butts - 770-504-2238
Jasper - 706-468-6760
Newton - 770-784-2480

(From the Jackson Lake Homeowners Assn. - JLHA)
Join JHLA, the Jackson Lake Homeowners Assn. to preserve and protect our lake!
call: Glenn Fell 770-775-4544
or:
Lou DuFresne 770-775-3662
RESOLUTION TO STOP DUMPING OF RAW SEWAGE INTO SOUTH RIVER
When Mayor Shirley Franklin appeared before the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners at its work session on Tuesday, August 19, 2003, she presented her plan for improving water quality in the South River and Chattahoochee River basins. Mayor Franklin's plan for the South River basin, called for partial separtation of the combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and the building of a deep tunnel for storage of the combined sewage. (Note: Approximately 1 billion, 500 million gallons of combined sewage is dumped, annually, via the Custer Avenue CSO, into the South River.)

After months of lobbying by the South River Watershed Alliance, a resolution was passed on Tuesday, August 26, 2003, by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, officially expressing its preference for the City of Atlanta to separate its storm and sewer pipes in order to stop the dumping of combined sewage into the South River, which runs through South DeKalb. The resolution further requests the support of the U.S. EPA and Georgia EPD for such separation, by granting the City of Atlanta a time extension, beyond 2007, so that full sewer separation can take place in this basin. At the signing of this landmark resolution, CEO Vernon Jones said, "Even one sewer overflow is one too many. We have zero tolerance when it comes to sewage overflows into the South River."

We would like to take this opportunity to commend CEO Jones and the Board of Commissioners for their swift action in the passage of this resolution. We also extend a heartfelt thanks to the South DeKalb Neighborhoods Coalition, Cleanstreams Taskforce, Inc., Representative Teresa Greene-Johnson and Congresswoman Denise Majette. Without a doubt, it was our combined efforts that brought about the the passage of this landmark resolution!

Attached is a picture of the signing of the resolution. A copy of the resolution will be available for viewing on our website http://www.southriverwatershed.org after September 1st.

Click for Photo of those signing Resolution.

Officers - South River Watershed Alliance
Doug Denton
Donald Murray
Elaine Nash
Joan Walker

Click here for information about Jackson Lake Homeowners Assn.