How will the power plant closing affect fishing on Lake Sinclair?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 GREC# 169695

We have had lots of questions about Lake Sinclair with the recent closing of the power plant (Plant Branch) in Putnam County. We've had people ask about the water levels, fishing changes the sale of lease lots and what will happen to the property where the plant is now.

Georgia Power management and Land Management recently had a meeting with real estate professionals to give us some of the answers. The dam at Lake Oconee and the dam at Sinclair will continue to be operational and produce power. Waters will continue to be pumped from Sinclair to Oconee and back again as it has been in the past.

Final approvals are being given from federal departments for the drawdown and in the next couple of weeks Georgia Power will likely have dates to announce. They know when they WANT to do the draw down this fall, but it's not something they can just decide and do without permits.

Speaking of permits, if you want to have work done on your seawall, ramp, dock or boathouse during the drawdown please go and ask early for a post dated permit. They will be hit hard with the number of requested permits as the time draws near and you might not get your permit if you don't make the request very early. If it is something that can only be done with the water down they indicated a willingness to look at the site and plans early and then issue the permit in a time frame that would allow you to have the work done during the draw down.

Also if you want to have some silt removed from around your dock at that time, NOW is the time to plan, hire and schedule that work. If you wait until the water levels start to drop I can promise you, no one will still be available with a tractor to do the work. Georgia Power will continue to manage their leasehold properties as they have done in the past at the office off of Hwy. 16 in Putnam County.

As for fishing.... I found some information about how not having the warm water released back into Lake Sinclair in the winter months might affect the fishing on Lake Sinclair and I wanted to share this very informative video with you.

 

Posted by

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Tammy@Lake-Sinclair.com

(Click on Lane Realty Logo for web site)

Tammy Lankford, Broker/Owner

 

Broker License # 169695  Lane Realty License # H-11420

Real Estate Instructor License # 355089

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Comments (12)

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Wow, Tammy I wonder how many people knew that the fish will relocate or perhaps die because of the power plant closing? I think any time you change the temperature of the water, you affect all the fish and vegetation that lives within it.

May 03, 2015 04:58 AM
Mary Yonkers
Alan Kells School of Real Estate/Howard Hanna Real Estate - Erie, PA
Erie/PA Real Estate Instructor

Tammy Lankford I live close to fish hatchery & a nursery stream that is used to stock other streams as well as Lake Erie.  The Fish Commission  monitor water temperature, flow and oxygen levels via remote devices with purpose of protecting the sport fishing industry.  Hope all goes well at Lake Sinclair.

May 03, 2015 06:17 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Real Estate Agent, Top 1% of Lyon Agents chances are healthy lives of the fish is not their main agenda in closing the coal plant. But I can't say I'm sad to see it go.  The jobs yes, the actual plant, no.

Mary Yonkers We have a lot of sport fishing in our lake too. My family eats what we catch.

May 03, 2015 06:21 AM
Noah Seidenberg
Coldwell Banker - Evanston, IL
Chicagoland and Suburbs (800) 858-7917

Sounds like a very serious issue that needs consideration Tammy. 

May 03, 2015 08:02 AM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

This is great information for everyone in Lake Sinclair, they are lucky to have someone like you to keep them informed!!!

May 03, 2015 09:20 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Tammy, nice localism post keeping the residents of Lake Sinclair informed on the closing of the power plang,  dock repairs and fishing.

May 03, 2015 11:31 AM
Larry Johnston
Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN
Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

Hi Tammy Lankford , It's going to be a new challenge for Anglers to find the new hiding spots for fish.

May 03, 2015 01:43 PM
Claude Labbe
RLAH / @properties - Washington, DC
Realty for Your Busy Life

Is this a done decision, or will local/state authorities get to weigh in?  I'd think there are a host of environmental issues, fish being one of many.

Nice post to let people be aware.

May 03, 2015 03:49 PM
Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP
DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX
Selling Homes Changing Lives

WOW! This is a very serious concern. The impact if not handled properly can be monumental. Community involvement is so necessary. This is an excellent post Tammy! You're involvement by getting the word out is so important!

May 03, 2015 10:51 PM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Noah Seidenberg hopefully they considered that, but I sort of doubt it

Brian England The power company does a wonderful job of keeping agents informed about our lake too. My gratitude to them for the meeting.

Rebecca Gaujot, the GO TO REALTOR nice time to clean up around your dock and seawall as well.

May 03, 2015 11:07 PM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Claude Labbe yes it's a done deal.  Our government doesn't like coal burning power plants and we lost 5 in our state this year.  I frankly am expecting lights out this summer like they used to experience in California with rolling "brown outs". This decision was three years in the making and I know locally they planned well,  and in the summer months those fish moved anyway .. away from the warm water discharge area, so I suspect they will just naturally figure out to stay in the deeper areas in the colder months when they realized this fall as it the lake cools that area is not being warmed anymore. But honestly there really isn't a way to "train" or "corral" the fish.

Patricia Feager, MBA, GRI, Cert Negotiations Expert, Military Relo Prof over reach of government in my opinion and I wonder just how many coal miners in W. VA just got a pink slip because of power plants closing in GA, we had 5 close mid April because of the EPD. I think locally it's being handled with the lake as best it can be.

May 03, 2015 11:15 PM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Tammy - Great post on keeping everyone informed locally about what is going on in Lake Sinclair.

May 04, 2015 03:26 AM