Many thanks to Nick Baggett with the United States Army Corps of Engineers office at Buford Dam! Mr. Baggett set up a full tour of the Power House facility at Buford Dam. The Corps of Engineers does very few tours of this facility, and I must say that this one was a very special treat. For security reasons, photos are not allowed to be taken at most of the facility, but we were allowed to take a few photos from the observation deck on top facing the lake and from the river observation area facing downstream into the Chattahoochee River.
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| View of West Bank Park from Buford Dam @ Lake Lanier. |
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| View from the lower level of Power House down the Chattahoochee River as water exits the dam. |
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| View of West Bank Park from Buford Dam @ Lake Lanier. |
The Lake Lanier Buford Dam Power House was built in the early 1950s when Lake Lanier was initially constructed. It was truly fascinating to go through the entire facility and see the remarkable construction and craftsmanship that went into building the dam and Power House. I saw lots of working equipment with familiar names like General Electric and Westinghouse. Items that were still in use, clean, well-kept and almost perfectly conditioned as they likely were at installation time in the 1950s! Large-scale items designed to lift heavy equipment were observed in many areas of the facility. It was a bit of a walk back in time. We toured many of the floors of the powerhouse as well as walking through damp tunnels surrounded by stone and traveling up an old, small elevator as we ascended from floor to floor. Once again, just a fascinating tour, almost like walking back into a time capsule. However, despite its age, the Power House is functioning quite well today, and it provides power that is used in many of the surrounding counties and communities. A testament to the longevity and the quality of what Americans can build! From the 1950s until today and still operating quite well!
After touring the Power House, we were taken to the United States Army Corps of Engineers office at Lake Lanier. Once we arrived at the office, we got a chance to meet some of the staffers in the Parks and Recreation Division as well as in the Shoreline Management Division. As you would expect, many agents had lots of questions for the folks over in Shoreline Management. As always, everyone in the Corps' office was helpful and very knowledgeable about answering our questions. They urged us to make sure that all of our clients reach out to the Shoreline Management Division when considering the purchase of a waterfront property that has a dock permit. This process can be initiated via email or via a phone call to the Shoreline Management Division. It's a great way for clients that are new to Lake Lanier to understand the permitting process, what they will need to do in order to put the dock permit in their name, and to make sure that the permit is in good order and free of current violations.
Again, I really want to thank Nick for treating us as a special group and providing us access to a facility that very few people are ever allowed to see. What an enjoyable and educational day! Here are a few more photos from the trip!
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| View from the lower level of Power House down the Chattahoochee River as water exits the dam. |
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| View from the lower level of Power House down the Chattahoochee River as water exits the dam. |
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| View from the lower level of Power House down the Chattahoochee River as water exits the dam. |
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