LOWNDES and TIFT COUNTIES, GA – News release from U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

Banks Lake is choked with aquatic plants such as fanwort and bladderwort. This makes boating difficult and harms the health and quality of the fishery.

A periodic drawdown of the water level is the most effective and economical method to control aquatic plants at Banks Lake. By drawing down the lake, refuge managers will improve the sport fishery and achieve multi-year aquatic plant control.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – News release from United States Senator, Saxby Chambliss

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., applauded Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s decision to declare 150 drought-stricken counties in Georgia disaster areas, as requested by Gov. Nathan Deal. Since April 2011, many parts of Georgia have experienced extreme weather conditions and suffered numerous crop losses. With the USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation, Georgia farmers will be able to apply for emergency loans and other benefits to ease losses.

LOWNDES COUNTY, GA - Gov. Deal sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking that Georgia counties be declared disaster areas because of Georgia’s ongoing drought.

Lowndes County was on that list of 22 counties that will be declared a disaster area and will be able to apply for emergency loans and other benefits provided by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008:

Here is the full press release from Governor Nathan Deal, Office of the Governor