By Alabama Public Radio
Lake Lanier GA – Georgia officials have been complaining this year that the US Army Corps of Engineers has been draining too much water from the state's reservoirs, including Lake Lanier. Now it appears those claims have merit. Lower water levels are indeed present in Lake Lanier ... but the blames is now being placed on a faulty gauge. A calibration error apparently led to water releases totaling a half-inch per day more than was necessary over the past 52 days ... that comes to a level about two feet below where it should have been. The mishap comes amidst criticism from Georgia officials that the US Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing too much water from Lake Lanier and other reservoirs in order to maintain adequate downstream water levels in Alabama and Florida. A Corps spokesperson says the agency is currently "augmenting flows as necessary for water supply to metro Atlanta, water quality requirements throughout the basin and to protect endangered species in the Apalachicola River.'' However, an agreement between Alabama, Georgia and Florida over how to share the Apalachicola-Chatahoochee-Flint river basin continues to be elusive.