BUFORD, Ga. — Lake Lanier is mere feet away from breaking a record that's held since the 1960s.
The Army Corp of Engineers released details on Saturday to put the current 1075.62 water level into perspective. Based on what they have on file, only five times in their records has the river ever surpassed that level which is based on the height of the lake relative to average sea level.
The lake, at "full pool" or when it's essentially full, is about 1071 feet - four feet below where it is now. But the real surprise is that at its current level, Lake Lanier is only about 2 feet short of its 1964 record of 1077.15 set in April of that year.
Even now, the rain waters have brought the lake to a height not surpassed since 1980 when the lake rose to 1076.05.
The Army Corp of Engineers reported that each of these readings were taken at midnight on their respective days. They plan to take a final reading when water levels begin to recede.