As we have reported before, the Corps of Engineers has proposed resuming dredging and expanding the navigation season on the lower Apalachicola‑Chattahoochee‑Flint (ACF) system between Columbus and the Gulf of Mexico. And that has alarmed some groups in the Gainesville area because of what they see as a negative when it comes to possible impacts on Lake Lanier. Concern expressed over impact downstream dredging might have on Lanier
Add the Lake Lanier Association (LLA) to that group, noting in a statement released Tuesday, that since 2017, the navigation season has lasted four to five months, depending on water levels, using a seven‑foot channel. But now the Corps is proposing to change that.
Under the new proposal, the navigation season would extend to nine months and rely on a nine‑foot channel, the LLA says. “Analysis presented to the public indicates that maintaining a deeper channel for a longer period would require additional water releases from Lake Lanier, potentially resulting in lower lake levels.
“Before any changes can be made to ACF operations outlined in the Master Water Control Manual, the Corps is required to complete a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study (SEIS). The SEIS is currently in the scoping phase, which is intended to gather public input and identify issues that should be evaluated.
“The Corps has stated that it is reviewing the reinstatement of operations and maintenance dredging, which applies only to navigation channels and not to Lake Lanier. The agency’s recent notice announced that two preliminary action alternatives will be evaluated based on a nine‑month flow scenario of 9,300 cubic feet per second, effectively doubling the current navigation season.
“Because expanded navigation is the purpose of the proposed dredging, stakeholders have urged the Corps to fully assess the economic impacts of any extended navigation operations as part of the SEIS.”
Here is information, as provided by the LLA, on ways you can comment:
Public comments on the Corps’ proposal are being accepted by the Corps until September 28, 2026.
If you want to raise any issues regarding the Corps’ proposal, this is your chance to have your voice heard as an individual citizen and taxpayer before the Corps performs its analysis that will be formally documented in the SEIS.
There are three ways to submit your comments:
By typing your comments into an online portal that can be found here: ACF Dredging Project Comment Form
By sending an email to this address: [email protected]
By sending a hard-copy letter to this physical address: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, CESAM-PDE-I, Attention: ACF Dredging Project, 100 Canal Street, Mobile, Alabama 36602-1901.