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Congress authorized Buford Dam for construction in 1946 as part of the overall development of the nation’s waterways after the Second World War.  The river and harbor legislation that came out of Congress during this time period was targeted at developing the nation’s rivers systems for national defense, flood control, power production, navigation and water supplies.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was involved in hundreds of projects all over the United States, as the scope of this massive undertaking was unprecedented.

Funding for construction first appeared on the horizon for the project in late 1949 as part of a multi-million dollar public works appropriation for the State of Georgia which saw $750,000.00 go to Buford Dam.  This money was used to complete the initial planning and design phases of the project such as the powerhouse design and for the start of construction.  The ground breaking was held on the Gwinnett County side of the future dam site on March 1, 1950.

Hundreds of people from all over North Georgia braved the cold damp weather conditions to make the trek along the water soaked muddy roads to get to the groundbreaking ceremony.  The work on the three saddle dikes, main earth dam, powerhouse, as well as bridge & highway relocation and construction would take over seven years.  Although the work would be completed by private companies they would have to follow government specifications agreed to at the time the contracts were awarded.

During this time period the government would also have to acquire the rights to over 56,000 acres of land and see to the relocation of over 700 families.  This was necessary in order to prepare the land for a 38,000-acre reservoir with over 692 miles of shoreline.  The government followed strict guidelines spelled out in the “River and Harbor Act” legislation in acquiring private property for public use.  Careful attention was paid in removing homes, barns, wells, fencing, and other physical property to prevent navigation hazards on the lake in the future.   This one aspect of the project’s construction had a price tag of over 19 million dollars.  Most property was purchased for between $25 and $75 per acre.  When complete, the total cost of the project’s construction, including the acquisition of land related items, was nearly 45 million dollars.

On February 1, 1956 the gates of the intake structure were closed on the lakeside of the dam starting the slow process of creating the reservoir that was eventually named Lake Sidney Lanier after the Georgia born poet and musician who died in the 1880’s.  It took over three years for the lake to record its normal elevation of 1070 feet above sea level for the first time on May 25, 1959.  The dedication was held on top of the intake structure parking lot on October 9, 1957.

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