President’s Comments

With all the rain this winter, the lake is only down a little more than two feet
. . . hooray!

Members should have the 2003 LBCA Directory in hand. Thank you Becky Hunter and team for a job well done.

The LBCA Board of Directors meets on Saturday, March 22 . . . if you have any topics we should be looking at, please send me an e-mail at: meluskey@eudoramail.com.

By the time our next newsletter comes out (June), the weather will have warmed and most of us will be enjoying the lake to its fullest. Please do remember to take in swim buoys placed in the water whenever you leave the lake. Georgia Power still intends to pick up buoys that have been left in the water on a semi-permanent basis.

As reported below, the tour of homes needs some homes to visit and we hope a few members step forward and offer their Lake residences for this worthwhile event.

Tour Of Homes — Homes Needed

The 2003 LBCA Tour of Homes needs additional homes for the tour scheduled 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, July 19 (rain date Sunday, July 20). If you wish to add your home to the tour please contact Linda Dixon at 706-865-3484. This is an important fund raising event for the LBCA and the generosity of sharing a home becomes a charity.

Water Quality

Test data collected by Georgia Power in 2002 indicated the water quality of Lake Burton is well within the safety levels set by the State of Georgia with the exception of Fecal Coliform found in the Tallulah River and Timpson Cove. This pollutant was above acceptable limits at these locations in July 2002 with geese and run off from surrounding farmlands being the primary suspects for the contamination. Please don't feed the geese!

LBCA Board Member Tom Fischer, in conjunction with Georgia Power, the U.S. Forest Service, the Georgia DNR, various marine engine manufacturers, et al, is developing an analysis of the Lake Burton Eco System which will tell us where the lake has been and is headed environmentally. Tom also hopes that expanded testing of the water with the DNR will increase the ability to pinpoint any additional pollution sources.

Your Tax Assessment Calculation

A rumor keeps circulating that Georgia Power's tax assessment billed to individual lessees includes not only leased properties on the lake, but other Georgia Power properties in Rabun County (i.e., across the road, up the road, down the road, etc.). It does not. It includes leased lots only.

Your individual tax assessment is based on an appraisal conducted by the State of Georgia with input from Rabun County and Georgia Power of all of the leased lots on the lake and only the amount of taxes paid by Georgia Power on those leased lots is allocated back to individual leaseholders as their tax assessment. These calculations are subject to audits by both Georgia Power and its Certified Public Accountants.

Power Line Update — GTC Wins Two

On January 13, a week after our last newsletter, Georgia’s Supreme Court ruled that Rabun County’s moratorium ordinance banning the construction of high voltage transmission lines was unconstitutional and enjoined the county from enforcing it.

On February 18, the U.S. Forest Service announced they were in favor of issuing a special permit to GTC, allowing six miles of the proposed 115kV line to span Forest Service land. A summary of the Forest Services’ findings, which can be appealed for a period of 45 days, begins on page 3.

Although opposition to the proposed transmission line continues, i.e., the Citizens for Rabun Heritage (CRH) has taken the battle over ‘eminent domain’ to the Georgia General Assembly, it appears that construction of the power line will soon begin.

Development Projects

One house is under construction at Camp Cherokee. Waterfall Country Club is adding dock space for members on the lake, but there is little activity at Seasons of Lake Burton (Cherokee Landing) or Tri-Cord (LaPrades). Seasons of Lake Burton does have a web site which allows the viewer to see the layout of the development as well as layouts of individual cottages. The web site is located at www.seasonsoflakeburton.com.

Forest Service Special Permit Summary Letter

United States Department of Agriculture — Forest Service

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

1755 Cleveland Highway

Gainesville, GA  30501

770-297-3000

File Code:  1950/2700

Date:  February 18, 2003

Dear Forest Stakeholder:

For your information, I am enclosing a copy of the Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (DN/FONSI) for the North Burton 115 kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line and Substation project. After reviewing the findings of the final Environmental Assessment (EA) for this project, including the issues associated with this project, discussion of other alternatives considered, and the environmental effects analysis contained in the EA, I have chosen the Proposed Action Alternative as my preferred alternative for implementation. This decision will allow a Special Use Permit to be issued to the Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC), which will authorize GTC to construct, operate and maintain a 115 kV transmission line and associated substation on National Forest System lands on the Chattahoochee National Forest in Rabun County, Georgia.

In summary, the Proposed Action Alternative includes:

• Construction and operation of a 115 kV transmission line across approximately six miles (affecting approximately 60 acres) of National Forest System (NFS) lands. The transmission line right-of-way (ROW) will be approximately 75 feet in width for the majority of the ROW length, with an exception to this width on the north side of Glassy Mountain, where the ROW width will be 120 to 150 feet. The majority of the transmission line will use single-pole structures to support the line, with an exception again for the north side of Glassy Mountain, where three-pole structures will be used at the top and bottom of this slope.

• Construction and operation of a substation at the northwest end of the transmission line on approximately eight acres of NFS land located between U.S. Highway 76 and Timpson Creek.

• Maintenance of the transmission line and associated structures, the substation, and the transmission line ROW using manual and mechanical methods and equipment. Maintenance of the ROW using herbicides is not approved by this decision.

• Mitigation measures will be applied to minimize environmental effects, including:

• An Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan will be followed during construction, operation and maintenance activities.

• The north side of Glassy Mountain will be minimally effected due to the transmission line spanning this slope for a distance of approximately 1,500 feet. This will result in a minimal amount of tree removal within the ROW, no access roads will be required, and the impacts on the visual quality of this slope as viewed from Highway 76 will be significantly minimized.

• Tree and vegetation removal for the majority of ROW clearing will be done in such a manner that most of the subcanopy and shrubbery will be retained, with progressively taller trees left on either side of the transmission line from the center of the ROW to the edges, resulting in a V-shaped corridor appearance.

• The substation site design will incorporate a number of features to minimize effects to the visual resource and soil and water quality, including use of a retaining wall, wooden privacy fence, retention of existing trees and shrubbery along Highway 76, and planting of selected native trees and shrubbery along the highway.

• The transmission line and pole structures have been designed to significantly minimize the potential for large bird species to be harmed by using wider spacing between wires and longer insulators than is typical.

• An access management plan will be developed by the Forest Service to determine future access to the roads used by GTC for construction and future maintenance of the transmission line, including proper closure of these roads as needed to prevent illegal access.

• The Stonewall Falls Mountain Bike Trail will be partially relocated to avoid impacts from the transmission line ROW.

A Legal Notice of this decision will be published in the Thursday, February 20th edition of The Clayton Tribune. This decision is subject to appeal during a 45-day appeal period, which begins on Friday, February 21, 2003. Refer to the attached Decision Notice for the proper procedure for filing a formal appeal, and for information concerning implementation of this decision. I have also included a copy of Appendix L from the final EA, which is the formal response to comments received during the comment period for the draft EA. No comments were received during the comment period that required significant changes to the draft EA.

Thank you for your time and interest in the management of your National Forests. If you have specific questions regarding this decision contact Blaine Boydstun, Forest Service Interdisciplinary Team Leader for this project at: U.S. Forest Service, 809 Hwy. 441 South, Clayton, GA, 30525, or by phone at (706) 754-6221, or by email to bboydstun@fs.fed.us, or visit the Tallulah District Office located on Hwy. 441 in Clayton.

Sincerely,

Andrew Colaninno

Deputy Forest Supervisor

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

Attachments — DN/FONSI

Appendix L (Response to Comments)

Copyright © 1999 - 2004 by Lake Burton Civic Association and Scot Roberge.  All rights reserved.