Tired Creek Fishing Reservoir
A Dangerous Precedent for Southern Waterways
SELC and partners challenge Corps permit
On behalf of Georgia River Network and American Rivers, SELC filed suit in federal court challenging a Corps of Engineers permit authorizing construction of a 960-acre recreational fishing lake in Grady County, Georgia. The reservoir could destroy more than four times the wetlands that the Corps asserts, as well as nine miles of stream, and would set a bad precedent in Georgia.
The Corps based its decision on a flawed fishing demand study that drastically overstates the need for such a lake. The agency also failed to complete an environmental impact statement for the project.
Read the complaint (pdf)
Case Summary
SELC is standing up against the growing trend of sacrificing southern wetlands, free-flowing rivers, and other natural resources for resort and amenity development. In May 2010, the Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit for a 960-acre reservoir on Tired Creek, a significant tributary of the Upper Ochlockonee River outside of Cairo, Georgia. If allowed to go forward, this reservoir would set a damaging precedent both because of its size and because its primary purpose is recreational fishing. In its comments on the project, EPA agreed that the Corps permit sets a dangerous precedent and violates the Clean Water Act due to impacts on water quality and aquatic habitat.
What’s At Stake?
If constructed, this reservoir would flood and destroy 129 acres of wetlands that provide critical wildlife habitat and natural filtration for water sources, which the EPA calls “aquatic areas of national importance.” It would also devastate almost 50,000 feet of streams and large areas of bottomland hardwood trees more than 80 years old. The destruction of these resources is completely unnecessary. Furthermore, it is highly questionable whether there is even adequate demand for fishing in the area to support a reservoir of this size.