The banks of Lake Lanier in Buford, Ga., look about the same as last year: Closed boat ramps, parched soil and lonely islands peeking above the surface that should be covered by a dozen feet of water.
Epic drought forced officials across the Southeast about a year ago to impose severe water restrictions and warn that Atlanta, ground zero for the dry conditions, could be just months from running short of water.
While the drought has eased, its tendrils still extend across the region. All it takes as reminder of the drought's grip is a look at the level of the lake, Atlanta's main water supply, which is more than 17 feet below normal.
"I'll tell you, we're paying attention," said Billy Calhoun, a former fishing guide who works along the shores of Lanier. "We're not forgetting about the drought."
The drought spread across the region last year and forced state and local officials to order sweeping water restrictions to save dwindling resources. Landscaping companies went under and some towns worried about running dry.
The response from many corners of the region was swift.
Georgia banned virtually all outdoor watering throughout the northern part of the state. The legal battle over federal water rights among Georgia, Florida and Alabama intensified, and legislators in Tennessee and Georgia sparred over rights to the Tennessee River.
This time around, the rhetoric has been subdued. Politicians are still urging conservation and forecasters still warn the drought is months from ending, but the sense of urgency has vanished.
Timely rain from tropical storms and hurricanes has helped. They produced badly needed rain across the region, replenishing reservoirs and streams. About 64 percent of the region is locked in drought, compared to 78 percent last year, according to federal forecasters. Only 2 percent of the area is in the worst category, compared to 24 percent last year.
Conservation efforts have helped usher in double-digit water savings in some areas. Water use in north Georgia, for instance, was down 24 percent in August compared with usage the year before.
"People are getting the conservation message," said Kevin Chambers, of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
Georgia also benefited from new guidelines by the Army Corps of Engineers, the overseer of federal water resources. It allowed Lanier to keep more of its water. The Corps released an average of 683 million gallons of water every day from Lanier in September, compared to more than 1.1 billion gallons a day the same month last year.
Still, some of those improvements might be short-lived.
Corps spokeswoman Lisa Coghlan warned that dry months could force the agency to release more water.
"As we continue to draw down lower basins," she said, "we will have to tap back into Lanier."