In The News

Originally pushed in the Augusta Press.

Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) and Mike Collins (R-Ga.) announced on July 24 that H.R. 8812, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 has passed the House of Representatives.

The WRDA is an annual water resources management bill, however, this year’s bill includes language that specifies that the pool, area from the shoals to the dam, on the Savannah River in downtown be maintained at 114.5 feet.

The language of the bill does not specifically force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep or maintain the current structure, which was built in 1937 when Augusta was an inland port, but it specifically disallows the Corps of Engineers from taking any action that would cause the pool to be lowered below its current level.

The WRDA also does not include any appropriations for repairing or maintaining the lock and dam, but if it passes the full Congress, the court cases may be rendered moot. To maintain the pool at 114.5 feet, the Corps of Engineers will be left with no choice but to repair the structure or replace it with a new dam, potentially one that includes “fish ladders” to allow the sturgeon to swim upstream.

Collins said that he is relieved that the bipartisan bill made it out of committee and swiftly passed once it was delivered to the House floor.

“Our state’s water infrastructure is vital to ensuring Georgia remains the top place to do business in America, stays competitive in the global supply chain, and retains access to clean water for consumption and recreation. I will continue fighting to ensure our state’s needs are addressed in Washington,” Collins said.

The locks on the structure have not been fully operational in years, and the Corps of Engineers have long favored demolishing the dam and replacing it with a rock weir that would lower the pool by several feet. The weir, according to the Corps of Engineers, would also allow the threatened sturgeon to swim upstream to what was once the species spawning grounds.

However, the Corps of Engineers faced public outrage when they conducted two simulated drawdowns that damaged property, left docks high and dry and created a massive mudflat.

The Corps action caused the matter to spill over into the courts and the battle has gone on for years. Allen says that the Corps of Engineers attempted to use the court system to do exactly what Congress had earlier forbid them to do.

“The Corps has played around with the water level citing ‘functionality.’ Then they and the Savannah Riverkeeper went off the charts and decided to remove the dam completely. They thought they had figured out how to do it,” Allen said.

Allen added that the on-going legal battles have cost the taxpayers dearly.

“It was the taxpayers that had to take them to court and taxpayers that had to pay for (the Corps) attorneys, we had to pay for their lawyers,” Allen said.

The bill now moves to the Senate, and Allen said that he has already spoken with colleagues in the Senate and believes that the bill will pass with the Lock and Dam language intact.

Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com