Newsletter

November, 2003
Fall/Winter Issue
Jackson Lake Currents

Georgia Power Company's Lake Jackson Land Management Office is pleased to bring you this latest edition of our newsletter, "Jackson Lake Currents." We hope you will find the newsletter to be informative and helpful. We also want to thank you for your support and for joining us as partners to preserve the environmental and aesthetic qualities of this wonderful lake. We, at the Lake Office, hope you have a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season.

In July of 2003, lake residents were mailed a customer satisfaction survey. Of approximately 2200 surveys mailed, 675 surveys were returned by the cut-off date. This was a much larger response than anticipated, and we would like to thank each of our residents who took the time to complete the survey. The results of this survey were positive and will be used to establish a benchmark for future surveys. We appreciate your feedback and would like to share the results of the survey with you.

The survey requested some general information on our lake residents, including years lived on the lake and full-time vs. part time residency. The chart below illustrates the average years our residents have owned or leased property on Jackson Lake.

The survey indicates 46% of our lessees live on the lake full-time and 61% of our deeded property owners are full-time residents.

The survey asked you to let us know how we are doing on our overall management of the lake, customer service, shoreline policies and programs. The survey also asked our lessees about the value they receive for their lease lot, and our billing system for leases. Here are some initiatives that we plan to address, based on the results of the survey:

• Ensure that we provide a prompt response to your permit requests
• If a permit request is denied, ensure that you are given an explanation as to why the request could not be granted
• Communicate our shoreline policies and programs, the tree seedling program, the shoreline vegetation policy, and the tax assessment recovery program for lessees in the Currents newsletter and the new website (see page 4).

Of the 675 surveys received, 412 responders provided specific comments. We have grouped the comments received into the major categories shown in the table below.

We are currently addressing these issues. The Homeowners Association and Georgia Power are working together on a coordinated trash program. Georgia Power and DNR are meeting to discuss the safety concerns and we hope to include the Homeowners Association in those discussions. The dredging and erosion issues are long-term problems; but we have been working with the code offices from Newton, Jasper and Butts Counties to enforce erosion control requirements around the lake. We will continue to provide information on the tax assessment recovery program to our lessees.

Lake Jackson Recommendations	Total % (n=412)
Better control of trash and/or lake level	52%
Safety issues - jet skis, buoys, 100' rule, more DNR presence	34%
Dredging and erosion issues	11%
Better enforcement for non-compliant structures (i.e., run-down, abandoned, etc.)	8%
Tax program issues identified by lessees	7%

Mark Your Calendar

• November 1 - Georgia Power launches new lake website: www.georgiapower.com\gpclake
• November 7 - Jackson Lake Homeowners Association Meeting
• November 8 - JLHA Lake Clean up Day
• November 27 & 28 - GPC Land Office closed for Thanksgiving
• December 1 - Special "Low Level" Winter Drawdown Begins
• December 6 - Christmas Boat Parade on Jackson Lake
• December 22 - Special "Low Level" Drawdown ends, "Regular" Winter Drawdown level will be maintained
• December 24 & 25 - GPC Land Office closed for Christmas
• January 1 - GPC Land Office closed for New Years Day
• February 1 - Trees seedlings will be available at the GPC Field Office
• March 1 - Winter Drawdown ends, Lake will return to Summer level by April 1.

In response to requests from our customers, we are planning to lower the lake slightly lower than the normal winter level of 525' for a period of approximately three weeks. This is to allow homeowners to make dock, seawall, and boat ramp repairs that they cannot do during the normal winter pool level. We will begin lowering the lake near the end of November and attempt to go to a level of 522' by December 1 and running through December 22. After December 22, we will return the level to the normal winter pool of 525.' The lake level will be maintained as closely as possible to the 525' until mid-March, when it will begin to be raised to the summer pool of 528.5' by April 1.

What's up with the drawdown

Drawdown points to ponder:

• Please be advised that the lake level is dependent on the weather and the amount of rainfall that is received during the winter months. Significant rainfall could affect our efforts to lower the lake to the 522' level. We cannot guarantee that we can reach that level or maintain it for three weeks.
• You may want to remove your watercraft before the drawdown begins, even if you normally have good winter water. Lower than normal winter levels may put your watercraft on the ground.
• Contact our office if you have questions regarding shoreline structures during lower than normal drawdown period.
• While boating, lookout for and be careful to avoid sandbars or shallow water areas, especially during the lower than normal drawdown.
• If you plan to do construction projects during this lower level, please remember that you need to obtain a permit from Georgia Power prior to beginning any construction.

Surfers welcome on Lake Jackson

One of our projects this year has been to update and improve the Georgia Power lake internet site. This project became available to the public on November 1.

We have worked to make the site more user-friendly, easier to navigate, and provide interactive maps and expand the available information for our customers. Look to the right for a sample of what the Lake Jackson home page will look like. So, next time you go "surfing," try our new website at:

www.georgiapower.com/gpclake

What are they doing?

• Georgia Power offers a free tree seedling program for all lake residents. This is part of our initiative to re-vegetate the shoreline with native trees. Trees along the shoreline help stabilize the bank, provide habitat for wildlife and fish, slow run-off, and help control water temperature. The tree seedlings will be available in our office around the first of February. The following species have been ordered (availability subject to change):

Willow Oak, River Birch, Crape Myrtle, Bald Cypress,
Red Maple, Catawba, Dogwood, Flowering Crabapple

• Georgia Power works with lake homeowners, Homeowner Associations, and county code officers to help protect the lake from erosion and to protect, and, if possible, restore the native vegetative buffer.
• Between the months of March and August, 2003, Georgia Power's Land Management Office removed over 750 tons of trees and debris from Lake Jackson. GPC also supports the JLHA cleanups through monetary donations, supplies, use of GPC facilities and equipment, and manpower. This year, 10 members of the Metro South chapter of the "Citizens of Georgia Power" have volunteered to help in the November lake cleanup.
• Georgia Power has a new shoreline guideline brochure available. The brochure includes general information on obtaining a construction permit and specific information on building structures such as seawalls, docks, boathouses and activities such as cutting trees and dredging.
• Georgia Power offers the Currents newsletter to all residents to provide useful lake information.
• Georgia Power and the Jackson Lake Homeowners Association are building an e-mail address list for lake residents to share information. If you would like to be on the list, simply go to the "contact us" on the website listed below. Fill out the information and request to be placed on the list.
• Georgia Power has updated their lakes internet site to provide timely information and updates. The website is:
  
  www.georgiapower.com/gpclake

If you have questions or comments regarding information found in this newsletter, or questions about Jackson Lake or Georgia Power Company, please call our office. Our phone number is: 770-775-4753

Thank You!