You may have noticed the water level indicator on the right-hand side of our site. Its now also possible to sign up for emails telling you when the level of Lake Lanier drops too low.
Cruising Lake Hartwell over Thanksgiving 2006 proved to be a time of creative inspiration for Doug and Jennifer McGaughey as they surveyed the number of docks and boats stranded, high and dry, on the red clay shoreline as a result of low winter lake levels.
A homeowner/weekender on Hartwell for 10 years, Doug believes that one of the most time-consuming, lake-related challenges has been constantly monitoring the ever-changing lake levels and knowing when to reposition his dock and boat in order to avoid becoming grounded or, in the case of high water levels, arriving to find a fully submerged dock ramp.
“There are few things more enjoyable or relaxing at the lake than helping your irritated husband dig the dock out of the mud,” Jennifer McGaughey sarcastically remarks.
Clearly, this was a widespread problem that begged for a solution; a solution that culminated online in the creation of http://LakeLevelAlert.com – a free service that automatically alerts registered users via email when their lake reaches specific levels.
“I spent the majority of my nights over the Christmas season putting this site together in hopes of having it online for the 2007 lake season.” Doug explained. “Thanks to my wife and a lot of strong coffee, that goal was met.”
Anyone who enjoys the lake can register for free at http://lakelevelalert.com . Each user can then create one or multiple, custom lake alerts that will warn them when Hartwell, or any of the other 49 lakes currently being monitored by LakeLevelAlert.com, rises to or falls below various levels. New lakes can be added to the system by request as well.
LakeLevelAlert.com is especially beneficial to those who do not live on the lake fulltime. By creating various alerts, weekenders can now know when it is time to visit the lake to move their dock or boat in or out as a preventative measure. But the service is certainly not limited to lake homeowners.
Since the sites launch in January, lake enthusiasts have found a wide variety of additional uses for LakeLevelAlert.com.
Boaters have created alerts to let them know when hazards such as treetops, stumps or shallow points might be exposed and therefore dangerous especially for water sports such as wakeboarding or skiing.
Alerts are in-use that indicate which boat ramps are usable. Fishing guides and anglers now depend on lake alerts to know when small channels and creeks are accessible for fishing. Real Estate Agents use the service to know when
to move docks for homes that they are selling. The list goes on and on.
LakeLevelalert.com alleviates the need for an individual to constantly monitor lake levels and hopefully offers lake-lovers a little extra peace of mind. “Just create your alerts and forget about it. LakeLevelalert.com will do the rest.”
“I have always wanted to provide a service that somehow related to or contributed to the lake and I believe that this is it. I truly hope that everyone who enjoys Hartwell and/or any other lake will register for, benefit from and spread the word about LakeLevelAlert.com.”