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Lake Stewardship

Protecting our lakes is a priority

Being a good steward of the environment on our lakes is important to us. Whether it’s protecting our fish and wildlife to managing aquatic vegitation, we are committed to being a good partner in conservation.

 

Land Management

Georgia Power owns approximately 90,000 acres of land reserved for future utility uses and power generation plant sites. We manage the land for watershed protection, wildlife habitat and sustainable forests. Additionally, we manage approximately 60,000 surface acres of water making up 17 lakes across the state associated with hydroelectric projects.

Georgia Power manages these resources under three basic principles:

  1. Protection of our assets and the environment.
  2. Promotion of our lands and lakes for the public good.
  3. Wise use of our renewable natural resources to generate revenue and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Georgia Power employs professionals with expertise in parks and recreation, shoreline/property management, forestry, and archeology to manage our program and to ensure compliance with the FERC licenses and other federal, state and local regulations.

Our Land & Water Management Values

Our mission is to preserve the scenic, environmental, cultural and recreational value of our lands and lakes.

Scenic Values

  • Aesthetically pleasing views from water and land
  • The appearance of a natural environment that is conducive to fish and wildlife and promotes the natural appearance that residents and visitors value
  • Residential and shoreline structures that blend into the natural surroundings, with limited footprint and minimal impact

Environmental Values

  • Protection of natural resources for current and future generations
  • Clean water that supports fish/aquatic habitat and water sports
  • Natural shoreline for enhanced wildlife habitats with native trees, shrubs and ground cover that protects our land and water assets

Recreational Values

  • Public access to our lakes and property
  • Clean, safe, affordable, quality outdoor experience
  • Natural areas for public viewing and use
  • Lake level management and communication

We protect these values by:

  • Compliance with FERC license requirements in Land Use Article and Public Safety Plan
  • Employee education and training
  • Communication, education and involvement of our stakeholders, including homeowners, realtors, contractors, and the general public
  • Partnerships with local issuing authorities, building inspectors, health department, and state and federal natural resource management agencies
  • Continued water quality monitoring of lakes and beaches with appropriate response to sources of pollution
  • Awareness of total watershed, especially upstream impacts on our reservoirs
  • Identification of environmentally sensitive areas including wetlands; rare, threatened, and endangered species areas; and cultural resources sites
  • Practicing and promoting conservation and stewardship of natural resources
  • Effective forest management to enhance natural habitats and wildlife management
  • Providing security measures and proper signage for a safe experience

We enhance these values by:

  • Removing non-compliant shoreline structures
  • Using lake draw-downs as opportunities to control aquatic weeds, and conduct maintenance work
  • Sponsoring and participating in Renew Our Rivers/Rivers Alive lake cleanups
  • Working with lake residents to improve fish and shoreline habitats, emphasizing erosion control, and encouraging native re-vegetation of shoreline (fish structures, tree seedling program, native plant list)
  • Promoting and restoring wildlife habitat, osprey nests, protecting buffer areas and other native species.
  • Offering safety education emphasizing boating and water safety courses
  • Monitoring recreation needs and providing and upgrading facilities/programs to meet the needs

Environmental Resources

The following links provide useful information regarding the great outdoors and environmental stewardship. Georgia Power is providing these links as a courtesy only and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information found within the site.