At Thursday’s meeting of the Augusta/Richmond County Commission and the Georgia state legislative delegation, Mayor Hardy Davis made it clear that saving the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam is a top concern.
The fate of the lock and dam has been under debate for years. The dam is seriously outdated and needs to be restored or replaced.
Multiple ideas have been considered for how to restore the lock and dam. Commissioners have considered building a whitewater course on the river or tearing down the dam and creating a rock weir so that sturgeon fish can spawn. Commissioners have also considered repairing the dam, which was built in 1937, so they can maintain a full pool on the Savannah River.
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Officials in both Augusta and North Augusta argue the main pool, which flows through their downtown areas, must be maintained and that the lock and dam needs to stay.
Augusta Mayor Davis has made the fate of the lock and dam a city priority in the meeting, and restated the importance of the project in a later interview.
“This water is our life; it is part of our economy,” says Davis. “We have to continue the fight to save the pool in Augusta.”
The city is suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the matter. The Corps has until Jan. 23 to file a final response, but in the meantime, Davis wants the local legislative delegation to seek funding from Congress to restore the dam.
“Congress has already voted,” says Davis. “Now we need for them to step up and help us fix the dam before it deteriorates more and causes a crisis. We have to save the pool downtown.”
Davis says saving the dam is crucial to the health and vitality of the CSRA.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
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