Dawson Forest Reservoir

Dawson County Reservoir Threatens Etowah River

A proposal put forth by private developers and the Etowah Water & Sewer Authority to build a reservoir on Shoal Creek in the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area includes plans to pipe 100 million gallons a day from the Etowah River Basin to Metro Atlanta.

Such a plan would increase the consumptive loss of Etowah River through interbasin transfers to the Chattahoochee River Basin by more than four fold and could mean as much as 10 percent of the river's flow at Dawsonville will be lost.

Plan Hinges on City of Atlanta Selling 10,000 Acres

The reservoir can only be built with the City of Atlanta's cooperation. The City has owned the 10,000 acre Dawson Forest tract since the early 1970s when the Airport Authority purchased the land with plans to build a second Atlanta airport.

That plan never reached fruitition and for years, the City has leased the property to the state as a wildlife management area. It currently serves as a haven for hunters, anglers, horesback riders, hikers and paddlers.

Currently, the City has created a task force to explore the sale of the land, but proponents of the plan are pushing the City Council to close the deal before the end of 2009.

Bad Deal for City of Atlanta, Downstream Cities

This proposal is bad on numerous fronts--for both Atlanta and downstream communties.

For the City of Atlanta, selling 10,000 acres of North Georgia in the currently depressed market would mean the loss of millions of dollars. Land prices in Dawson County have fallen by 25 percent or more in the past 24 months. Futhermore, selling the Dawson Forest will not bail the City out of its financial hole. The land was purchased by the Airport Authority with federal funds. Therefore, any proceeds from the sale could only be used for airport operations.

For downstream communities like Canton, Marietta, Cartersville, Rome and neighboring Alabama, the loss of 100 million gallons per day from the Etowah is significant. Such a transfer is seven percent of the river's average annual daily flows. When flows are low, the transfer represents more than 50 percent of daily flows on the Etowah at Dawsonville.

If approved by state regulators, it is likely this reservoir would trigger new objections from Alabama in its two-decade-old water war with Georgia over the use of water in the Coosa River Basin.

In fact, Georgia law currently prohibits the kind of water transfer that is proposed through the construction of this dam and reservoir. Under the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, it is illegal for any jursidiction within the District to transport water from outside the District boundaries into the District. Dawson County is outside the District.

This provision was included in the state law creating the District for the very purpose of protecting downstream communties from massive water grabs such as this proposal.

Reservoir Would Kill Endangered Fish Species

A reservoir on Shoal Creek would wipe out some of the last remaining pristine habitat for the federally threatened Cherokee darter (left) and the federally endangered Etowah darter. Shoal Creek is considered Priority 1 habitat for the darters under the Etowah Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).

As Priority 1 habitat, Shoal Creek is afforded the strongest protections under the HCP. These fish species are endemic to the Etowah River Basin and are found no where else in the world. Aside from sediment from stormwater runoff, the biggest threat to these species is reservoir construction. They cannot survive in lake habitats.

Reservoirs V. Water Conservation

The proposed reservoir, with a drinking water yield of 100 MGD, would cost an estimated $600 million to build. By contrast, a slate of five water conservation measures, if implemented in the Metro Atlanta area, would create 133 MGD in water savings at a cost of just $134 million.

Water conservation should always be the first investment communities make in extending their water supplies. Water conservation measures are the quickest and most economical ways to meet growing water demands.

While reservoirs may be needed in some locations, reservoir sites should be chosen carefully with special attention given to threatened aquatic wildlife. In this case, there are more suitable locations for reservoirs that will not impact federally protected species.

Take Action, Write Atlanta City Council 

Right now, the Atlanta City Council is studying this proposal. You can help save Shoal Creek and prevent a massive interbasin transfer by writing the City of Atlanta and respectfully expressing your concern about this reservoir proposal.

Send a letter to:

Ms. Clair Muller, Chair, Transportation Committee, Atlanta City Council, 33 Trinity Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303 or e-mail Councilwoman Muller at cmuller@atlantaga.gov

Ms. Lisa Borders, Council President, Atlanta City Council, 33 Trinity Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303 or e-mail lborders@atlantaga.gov

Mayor Shirley Franklin Council President, Atlanta City Council, 33 Trinity Ave., Atlanta, GA 30303 mayorfranklin@atlantaga.gov

Sample Letter

Dear ___________:

As a (resident of North Georgia) who depends upon the Etowah River for my drinking water supply, I am writing to express my concern over the proposal before the Atlanta City Council to sell the Airport Authority's 10,000 acre Dawson Forest tract for the construction of a 2,000 acre reservoir on Shoal Creek. This proposal includes a plan to transfer 100 million gallons a day from the Etowah River to Metro Atlanta communities.

As a downstream neighbor, I ask that you reject any water supply plan that would permanently remove large quantities of water from the Etowah River Basin, precluding the use of that water by downstream communities such as Canton, Marietta, Cartersville and Rome.

With a $600 million price tag, this reservoir is likely to result in very expensive water rates for Metro Atlanta residents--rates that would be paid to a private entity. The same 100 million gallons per day could be achieved in Metro Atlanta through a slate of five water conservation measures at a cost of $134 million.  The City of Atlanta and other metro jurisdictions are already implementing some of these measures.

I applaud the City of Atlanta for its recent deliberate efforts to address water efficiency within the City's water supply system. These efforts help protect water supplies for downstream communities. I ask that you continue these efforts by rejecting the proposal to sell the Dawson Forest tract for the development of the Shoal Creek Reservoir.

Sincerely,

Etowah River Basin Citizen