Wrong part led to costly water release

ATLANTA, April 20 (UPI) -- A faulty part caused nearly 22 billion gallons of water to be released from Georgia's Lake Lanier a year before a major drought hit the state, a study found.

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigative report showed that in 2006, the agency accidentally released large amounts of water downstream because a simple metal pulley was not properly replaced on a device that measures the lake's levels, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday.

The study said a miscommunication caused the wrong replacement part was used and it malfunctioned, producing measurements falsely indicating the lake's level was higher than it actually was and releasing water.

Due to the malfunction, the lake's water level dropped nearly two feet during the ensuing 52-day period.

After the release was stopped in June 2006, a major drought began in Georgia, which lasted several months and further depleted the lake to 19 feet below its normal level.

The newspaper reported that Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said in a 2006 congressional hearing that the mistake amplified the effects of the drought.

"By this mistake, they essentially created a 'man made' drought on top of a natural drought," the governor said.