# 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

natureman said:


> 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


----------



## Buford_Dawg

My wife's family are all Buford originals.  I have listened many a evening sitting on the porch with her grandfather about the lake and damming it up, etc....  He got to watch every bit of it.  Very interesting conversation, he left us about 10 years ago at age 97.  He hunted all the land around buford dam, along Hwy 20 on both sides of the river, said they mostly rabbit and squirrel hunted back in those days, not many deer around.  I miss his story telling. He had several books telling the story of the dam building and lake lanier as it was built out, I assume my MIL has them now.


----------



## FF-Emt Diver

Enjoying this! Thank you for posting.


----------



## natureman

It was truly a different place back then.  Almost all the land bought for the lake was about as rural as you could get. It is difficult to relate to compared to development around the lake today.  The COE bought about 56,000 acres on average $30 per acre. This involved about 700 individual properties.  I made this video about 25 years ago which goes into more detail. 
Lake Lanier Construction - YouTube


----------



## Doboy Dawg

natureman said:


> 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


The engineer that gave me a tour of Sinclair dam, back in the 80’s, explained in detail how that dam was built in pretty much the same way as this dam.

When he told me about how much the dam was allowed to move, I was surprised.  He explained how it had to be able to flex.

I asked him what all the 2-1/2” looking size holes in the foundation were.  He said they have to take core samples every so often.  I was amazed at the amount of water that trickles through, with actual stalactites and stalagmites growing inside.  I was able to get a few of them, he said those are over 50 years old.

My grandfather was a Lineman.  He worked on many of these projects from the TVA all the way down to Key West.  He was on the crew that put the power lines from South Florida to Key West.  I have pictures somewhere of him working with crews building the first giant steel towers used in Florida when they started crossing all the big lakes.  It’s amazing what those linemen built with Model T trucks and jib poles.


----------



## Jeff C.




----------



## gma1320

Very cool


----------



## treemanjohn

natureman said:


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


I knew it


----------



## natureman

Part V.  The penstocks are the pipes thru which lake water travels to the Powerhouse where it turns the turbines and is discharged back into the river.  There are two penstock pipes that go to 3 turbines.  Their maximum flow is 12,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).  The sluice is its own entity and is a straight shot that bypasses the turbines.  It is normally used for emergency drawdown of the lake beyond what the penstocks can release.  It is capable of discharging 10,650cfs and the flow amount can be regulated.  Together (penstocks and sluice) the maximum flow is 22,650cfs.  By comparison the normal river flow during the summer is about 750 cfs so at maximum outflow of 22,650cfs there will be some downstream flooding as the river rises out of its banks.  In these photos keep in mind that the Powerhouse has yet to be built.
I remember a rare occasion when the sluice was opened I believe all the way.  The water came out with such force that it shot up into the air about 50 feet.  Focusing on it was both mesmerizing and disorienting.


----------



## natureman

Part VI.  The Buford Powerhouse contains the equipment that produces electricity, distributes it and controls the flow of water from the lake back into the river.  In simplistic terms as the water goes thru the penstocks it hits and turns turbine blades sitting beneath generators which produce electricity.  Here is a simple explanation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx6UfiEU3Q0
The Buford Powerhouse uses Francis design turbines whose origin goes back to the late 1800s. Wikipedia does a good job describing them.  The original turbines and control mechanisms installed in the Buford Powerhouse (1950s) have received several upgrades over the years making them more efficient energy producers.  Feel how you may about hydroelectric produced power just remember that water released from Lanier will go thru over a dozen hydro-plants as it works its way to the Gulf of Mexico, each producing power.  Compare that to burning fossil fuels which is a one and done deal.

Walking thru the Powerhouse during generation periods is a unique experience.  You can feel a powerful force moving under your feet and the building which is thick concrete and steel vibrates. It is also pretty noisy.   Little known fact is that a portion of the lower level was designed as a fallout shelter.  It has since been deactivated.

I will add that the public is not really aware of the folks that work in the Powerhouse.  The mechanics and electricians keep the place working and it is spotless.  They are a pretty interesting group of people with highly specialized skill sets.  I was fortunate to get to know a couple of them fairly well.


----------



## natureman

Part VII. Bridges.   This is a quick photo dump of Lanier bridges.


----------



## Mike 65

Really interesting stuff. Great thread!


----------



## elfiii

Where's the Lady in the Lake?


----------



## natureman

Part IX.  Final photos.  Hi-rez.

Bottom of photo is lakeside before the filling. 


East side of dam in the foreground looking to the west. 



West side of dam in the foreground looking to the east.


----------



## Whitefeather

@natureman Thanks for posting these. Very interesting to see the before


----------



## Mike 65

Yes thank you. I really enjoyed the pics.


----------



## Unicoidawg

Great thread with awesome pics.

Made this one a "Sticky" to keep it at the top.


----------



## buckmanmike

Wheres the pics of catfish eating the truck driver that wrecked into the lake?
  Enjoyed the education. Cool pics.


----------



## littlejon

Really enjoy these since I pass the dam by truck and boat often.


----------



## Geffellz18

Thanks @natureman for sharing! Great thread.
The bridges came down this year and last, sadly enough. They about have Browns bridge completely dismantled now.
I’m guessing the second to last bridge pic was the one spanning 129 above the Chatahoochee channel north of Gainesville. It was replaced a year or two back now if so.
So neat to see construction photos of them being built, and experiencing them coming to their end of service!
I’ll miss those iconic green steel bridges!


----------



## JonathanG2013

natureman said:


> 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




Morning. There was an episode of Expedition X where they scuba dived and found grave stones buried under the lake which is interesting.


----------



## JonathanG2013

Great info and pics natureman. I learned a good bit about how it was build and runs.  Keep the updates coming.


----------



## DannyW

natureman said:


> It was truly a different place back then.  Almost all the land bought for the lake was about as rural as you could get. It is difficult to relate to compared to development around the lake today.  The COE bought about 56,000 acres on average $30 per acre. This involved about 700 individual properties.  I made this video about 25 years ago which goes into more detail.
> Lake Lanier Construction - YouTube



Nice video, enjoyed it. I do take exception to one part though...they did not cut all the trees to 35' below the surface. They left plenty of standing timber. We used to fish for crappie around them back in the early to mid 60's. And I remember a memorable winter day around 1972 when me and a friend caught several nice bass on shiners off a visible tree maybe 6 feet under the surface about 200 yards straight out from the dam.

Thanks for posting.


----------



## natureman

DannyW said:


> Nice video, enjoyed it. I do take exception to one part though...they did not cut all the trees to 35' below the surface. They left plenty of standing timber. We used to fish for crappie around them back in the early to mid 60's. And I remember a memorable winter day around 1972 when me and a friend caught several nice bass on shiners off a visible tree maybe 6 feet under the surface about 200 yards straight out from the dam.
> 
> Thanks for posting.



Good catch.  As it was explained to me many trees that should have been cut were not due to the lake filling up faster than anticipated.  Back in the winter of 1982 the lake went down to the mid 1050s msl.  I recall going out and working with a team that cut many of the remaining trees in high traffic areas off near that level.


----------



## RegularJoe

Many thanks Natureman for alllllll the above.
My family and i were regularly sailing the Lake back in '82 and remember the low water well ...
thanks for your " submarine lumberjackin' " back then ...
it was an important safety project you provided for all who plied the wonderful waters.
On another note, whenever the 50 year anniversary was for the Power Station
(my guess/recollection is long about 2006-2008?)
the Corp. of Engineers provided a tour of the facilities for the public. 
We were able to attend and will always fondly remember having done so with thanks to the Corp.


----------



## natureman

RegularJoe said:


> Many thanks Natureman for alllllll the above.
> My family and i were regularly sailing the Lake back in '82 and remember the low water well ...
> thanks for your " submarine lumberjackin' " back then ...
> it was an important safety project you provided for all who plied the wonderful waters.
> On another note, whenever the 50 year anniversary was for the Power Station
> (my guess/recollection is long about 2006-2008?)
> the Corp. of Engineers provided a tour of the facilities for the public.
> We were able to attend and will always fondly remember have done so with thanks to the Corp.


I remember the 50th anniversary  very well.  Only a handful of people got that tour due to post 9/11 security protocols.  You couldn't tell it but security was really tight with plainclothes LE sprinkled in with the tour groups.  Myself, another park ranger and the superintendent led most of the tours.


----------



## natureman

Looks like the photos that I posted have disappeared. I set up an album including 686 construction photos for easy viewing. Here is the link  Buford Dam - Lake Lanier construction photos from the 1950s. | Flickr


----------



## RegularJoe

Holy Smokes "Nat..."   Thanks for the link ... 
those pics are historically enlightening and really importantly archived.
It helps me further appreciate the lake.
There are times i wander on up to the old "Upper Overlook," look at the old core sample still (thankfully) on display with the explanation plaque and wonder how all this came to be.  _For me, your link offers a wide spectrum on new understanding._
Questions: There is a Group on the social media platform entitled "NextDoor," by the name of "Lake Lanier Life" ( https://nextdoor.com/g/rssr88urs/?is=nav_bar ).  These are folks that love the lake.  
Is it legally allowable for me to post your link on that site?
If so, then is it okay with you for me to do so?


----------



## natureman

RegularJoe said:


> Holy Smokes "Nat..."   Thanks for the link ...
> those pics are historically enlightening and really importantly archived.
> It helps me further appreciate the lake.
> There are times i wander on up to the old "Upper Overlook," look at the old core sample still (thankfully) on display with the explanation plaque and wonder how all this came to be.  _For me, your link offers a wide spectrum on new understanding._
> Questions: There is a Group on the social media platform entitled "NextDoor," by the name of "Lake Lanier Life" ( https://nextdoor.com/g/rssr88urs/?is=nav_bar ).  These are folks that love the lake.
> Is it legally allowable for me to post your link on that site?
> If so, then is it okay with you for me to do so?


Glad that you enjoyed the photos. You can post my link. U.S. government works are in the public domain (i.e., not protected by the U.S. Copyright Act).


----------



## RegularJoe

Posted the link as per above.  Thank you.


----------



## RegularJoe

Btw, Nat, the full color wildlife photos interspersed on the last 2 pages, make me (righteously) proud to be part of 'the creation.'    Love the close up detail.


----------

