WHAT'S AT STAKE?
The Oconee River, part of the Altamaha River Basin, is a vital source of water for farms and communities in middle Georgia and provides habitat for at-risk fish species.
THE THREAT
A proposed coal-burning power plant would draw an average of 13.5 million gallons a day from the Oconee River, robbing water from downstream users.
The Oconee River, which runs through the heart of Georgia, often suffers from low flow levels, especially in times of drought. That hasn’t stopped a consortium of electric cooperatives from pursuing a plan to siphon an average of 13.5 million gallons a day from the river and pipe it to a proposed coal-fired power plant 30 miles away. This will rob water from downstream farms and communities and continually disrupt natural conditions for fish and other aquatic wildlife. When river levels are too low to meet generating and cooling needs, the 850-megawatt plant will draw water from a series of wells, depleting aquifers that feed the Oconee and other streams when rainfall is low and putting further strains on central Georgia’s water supplies.
