A Grassroots Movement Wants to See Two Iconic Southern Rivers Running As Nature Intended
Tugalo Dam was completed in 1923 and, according to Georgia Power’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan, is nearing the end of its useful life. The dam’s operating license isn’t set to expire until 2036, but in September of 2021 Georgia Power filed a request to amend its operating license. This amendment proposes to modernize the dam to the tune of 24 to 30 million dollars, thus extending the dam’s life for another 40 or 50 years. Having just proposed a collaborative partnership, conservation organizations were caught off guard by the application. A public comment period was over nearly before it started, and on November 24, a few days after I stood on the overlook, six conservation organizations filed a motion urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to study the dam’s removal.
Read more at Blue Ridge Outdoors.