Proposal To Transfer 100 Million Gallons A Day From Etowah To Metro Atlanta Raises Concerns
If private developers can convince the City of Atlanta to sell a 10,000-acre tract of land in North Georgia’s Dawson County for the construction of a 2,000 acre reservoir, the Etowah River could soon see nearly 10 percent of its flow sent south to Metro Atlanta.
The Etowah River serves as the drinking water source for numerous communities in North Georgia, including Canton, Marietta, Cartersville and Rome. In Rome, the river joins the Oostanaula and flows west to Alabama as the Coosa River.
The proposal pipe 100 million gallons a day from the Etowah to Metro Atlanta has been met with much concern in these downstream communities where it is viewed as a threat to future economic growth in the region as well as the health of the Etowah and Coosa rivers.
“This project would increase the current transfer of water from the Etowah to Metro Atlanta four fold,” said Joe Cook, Executive Director & Riverkeeper at the Coosa River Basin Initiative based in Rome. “It’s not a fair and equitable use of this resource and it’s not an appropriate message to send to our neighbors in Alabama.”
Georgia and Alabama have been embroiled in a two decade long water war regarding the Chattahoochee and the Coosa river basins. One of the more contentious issues has been the transfer of water from the Etowah/Coosa rivers to Metro Atlanta.
The proposal is being backed by private developer, Republic Resources, Inc. who will finance the $600 million reservoir/water supply project. Etowah Water & Sewer Authority, which provides drinking water to residents of Dawson County, would operate it.
The plan involves damming Shoal Creek, a tributary of the Etowah River in the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area. Water would be pumped from the Etowah to fill the reservoir, treated and then piped to North Fulton County and Atlanta.
The 10,000 acre Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area is owned by the City of Atlanta which leases the land to the state. It was originally purchased by Atlanta in 1971 as a potential site for a second airport. Today, it is a recreational draw for the area used by hunters, anglers, horseback riders, hikers, bicyclists and paddlers.
The developers of the project must first convince the City of Atlanta to sell the property.
The City’s transportation committee this week postponed a vote on the issue and has asked Mayor Shirley Franklin to put together a task force to study the proposal.
“This is a bad deal for the City of Atlanta,” said Will Wingate with The Georgia Conservancy, based in Atlanta. “Land prices are depressed in North Georgia so this is not the time to sell such valuable property.”
Funds generated from the sale would not be unavailable to bail the City out of its current financial hole because the land was purchased by the Airport Authority with federal funds and therefore could only be used for airport operations, Wingate said.
The proposal also violates state law, according to CRBI. State law prohibits the transfer of water from outside the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. Dawson County is not a member of the District.
“Metro Atlanta needs to solve its water needs by working within its boundaries, not by taking other communities’ water,” Cook said. “Water conservation and efficiency measures in the region can secure the same 100 million gallons a day at a fourth the cost of this reservoir.”
A recent study by American Rivers shows that Metro Atlanta could save as much as 133 million gallons a day by investing $134 million in water conservation measures.
Shoal Creek is also habitat for two fish on the federal Endangered Species List–the Etowah and Cherokee darters. These endemic species are found no where else in the world, and their presence creates a considerable hurdle for parties seeking federal environmental permits to construct the reservoir.
