HALL COUNTY, GA — A new group called the Lake Lanier Caucus will address growing concerns about the taste and smell of the lake’s water.

Georgia Sen. Drew Echols says this group should get the conversation going.

“I can’t think of anything more important for northeast Georgia than the water quality, the economic impact of Lake Lanier. I just think we need to be communicating at better levels than we currently are,” Echols said.

The Georgia Water Planning and Policy Institute is working on a three-year federally funded study looking into water quality issues in the lake.

In October 2025, the Public Works Department released a statement saying for residents of north Fulton County who have noticed a change in the smell and taste of the drinking water recently, it was due to annual turnover in the Lake Lanier-Chattahoochee River System.

Last month, a $2.5 million federal grant from Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center was directed towards improving water quality after recent complaints about “earthy” smelling tap water across parts of metro Atlanta.

The Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center are set to use the funding to work with farmers upstream from Lake Lanier on ways to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff.