Lake Lanier History Photos

[natureman]

So, I recently came across over 700 construction photo of Lake Lanier and Buford Dam. I posted them with narrative over on a Facebook group which I can't / shouldn't post a link to because of bad language. It was in multiple parts. I thought I would see if there was any interest here.

Part I. Some historic photos of Lake Lanier construction. Here is a series of the forebay/water intake structure for the Powerhouse. Just the top part is visible today.

 

[natureman]

This is all you see today.

 

[Mike 65]

Keep them coming.

 

[Doboy Dawg]

Good stuff, I love the history behind these projects. While working with a contractor at Sinclair dam, I got to tour the power plant and the dam. It was very interesting to walk along the bottom of the dam with 100’ of water above.

 

[Hickory Nut]

Would like to see more if you can.

 

[natureman]

Yea, a lot folks toured Buford Dam as kids. Since 9/11 Buford Powerhouse has been locked down under Army security regulations.

 

[natureman]

Part II. Buford Dam is actually composed of several structures. Of course there is the main dam that spans the Chattahoochee River channel. But there are 4 other structures called “saddle dikes” which enable the lake to rise up to its maximum flood level of 1085 msl. The majority of the saddle dikes are the twisty road you drive from Sawnee Campground east past West Bank Park. They were completed early on in the construction process. Here are some photos as well as a recent aerial showing their location. I will post about the main Dam construction later since it is more complex and there are lots of photos.

 

[pjciii]

I just love that kind of stuff. Keep it coming

Please

 

[Mike 65]

Are there pics of the area as it’s flooding?
Love seeing the old equipment and stuff.

 

[natureman]

No. Not yet. Those will come towards the end of the series.

 

[natureman]

Part III. The emergency spillway is located in the boat ramp parking lot at Lanier Park. It is simply a blasted and leveled cut through a hillside at elevation 1085 msl. Should the lake ever get to that level, which is way above full 1071 msl, the lake water would freely flow through the cut, then across Buford Dam Road, and follow a ravine to Richland Creek with flows into the Chattahoochee downstream of the dam. It is a simple feature relying on gravity flow. I have included an aerial photo that shows its approximate path. The COE has flowage easements along the way to keep homes from being built in it. The spillway has never been used but one day it might and in theory could prevent the saddle dikes and main dam from failing. There is a much more efficient and controlled way of releasing large volumes of water from the lake via the emergency sluice and turbines located at the Powerhouse. I will save that discussion for later.

 

[pjciii]

there are whole towns under that lake.

 

[natureman]

No. I curated all the land acquisition records for the COE at Lanier which includes photos of buildings in the lake's footprint. I saw no towns. Just rural farmland. You can go to this site and search the land purchase records for Lanier which include building photos. TRACT SEARCH | lakelanierhistory

 

[Artfuldodger]

Are those Saddle Dikes to fill in the low areas between the hills? I don't think I've ever seen that concept used in lake construction. Usually they just let the water back up to wherever it backs up.

The spillway concept is interesting. I don't think I've ever seen one of those around Georgia either on a like of that size. It does seem like a good idea. Those housing developments are really close to Richland Creek.

 

[natureman]

Yes by building the saddle dikes it increased the size of the lake. Near the spillway is a deep ravine between the subdivisions but I think Gwinnett Co. dropped the ball allowing them to be built there. They should have established a buffer zone.

 

[mguthrie]

Yea, a lot folks toured Buford Dam as kids. Since 9/11 Buford Powerhouse has been locked down under Army security regulations.

I used to trout fish there a lot in the late 80’s and you could just walk in and tour it. They did have viewing areas you had to stay confined to but you could see the turbines in action

 

[treemanjohn]

Got any pictures of ghosts?

The old racetrac on the north end got flooded didnt it?

 

[natureman]

Yes, there wasn't any need to remove the track and concrete bleachers since they would not be a navigation hazard.

 

[natureman]

No photos of ghosts but did experience a couple of unexplained events which were unnerving.

 

[natureman]

Part IV. Buford Dam spans the Chattahoochee River between two hillsides. To construct it the COE had to reroute the river and excavate down to bedrock before the dam could be built. This type dam has a lateral core of compacted impervious material (clay) which is flanked by other material and rip-rap stone on the lakeside to hinder erosion. I couldn’t find an a diagram to further illustrate this. Here is something most of you all are not aware of “most earthen dams leak”. Buford Dam is no different. It depends on the mass of the material and the impervious core to retain its structural integrity. Nevertheless water manages to seep through and the COE has monitoring devices to determine where, how much and knows when there might be concern. Inspection is on a frequent basis and a special team of engineers periodically inspect the dam for condition and to prioritize repair work. The dam and the saddle dikes don’t just maintain themselves and a lot of work goes into inspection, mowing, erosion repair and determining if it has shifted. Shifted you say, well the dam is built on the supposedly inactive Brevard Fault Line. All this work goes on pretty much unnoticed by the public.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevard_Fault