Name:   JohnnySlalom - Subject:   Lake Allatoona volume drop Date:   9/7/2018 2:21:45 PM

This is a common misconception.  They do not just intentionally drop the lake levels on purpose.  The drop is due simply to the decrease in rain during the fall/winter months coming into the lake from the rivers.  Also, by the end of summer with all the heat, there is even more evaporation.

By law, there has to be a steady flow of water coming out of the dam going downstream.  The amount of water they have going through the dam is constant and only changes when the lake gets too high, when they have to increase the outflow.

So, during the fall and winter, there is less water coming into the lake than the amount going out through the dam.  Ergo, the level steadily drops.  Once the spring rains start, you see the level start rising again.