The Lake Lanier Association (LLA) is renewing an initiative to save and protect the lake’s islands.
“The islands that dot the middle of Lanier are wonderful, irreplaceable assets,” the announcement of the project says. “They provide opportunities for wildlife habitat, beaches and coves for recreation, fishing spots and general enjoyment on Lake Lanier.
As more and more of the shoreline erodes and falls into the lake, these areas between the islands become shallower and less usable for safe recreation. There are some areas on the Lake where the entire island has disappeared as a result of constant erosion. The loss of these islands is not only a loss for recreation but also for storage capacity as the sediment added to the lake reduces the storage capacity for drinking water storage.
To date, three phases of Rip-Rap projects have been successfully completed. A total of 12 islands and a little under two miles of shoreline have been protected since the initiative’s inception in 2014. The largest phase was completed in May 2020. Rip-rap stone was installed across 6,100 linear feet of shoreline or over a mile.
This project protected three islands near the Old Federal Park campground and four located in the Three Sisters Islands chain using 9,600 tons or 19,200,000 pounds of stone.