Proposal
Seeks to Divert Savannah River
The
Savannah River is an invaluable resource
to the Augusta area, and one that must
be carefully managed and protected for
the future growth and enjoyment of the
CSRA. Because it is such an important
resource to our area, the Augusta Metro
Chamber pays close attention to any
issues that may arise involving the
river.
Upstream
communities have submitted proposals
to begin taking water from the upper
parts of the Savannah River and diverting
it into other watersheds. The Chamber
believes this is a dangerous precedent.
While counties who border along the
Savannah River and its tributaries should
be able to use the water for the needs
of their citizens, the Chamber does
not want to see those communities exploit
their location by becoming water brokers.
Growth
should occur where adequate resources
are available. With so many opportunities
for growth across the State of Georgia,
it is unwise to allow one area to become
a leech, sucking the entire state dry.
Georgia should begin to emphasize the
development of areas of the state that
do have plentiful resources rather than
continuing to expand areas that have
reached their maximum carrying capacity.
A river full of water will not benefit
Augusta residents if we are not allowed
to use it. Proposed new regulations
on the Savannah called Total Maximum
Daily Loads, or TMDL's, restrict the
area's ability to make use of our greatest
natural resource. Meetings held by the
Chamber to inform the community about
this issue have resulted in a coalition
being formed to create a unified response
to these proposed regulations.
This
response has been drafted and submitted
to the Environmental Protection Agency,
representing possibly the first time
that stakeholders in the CSRA have come
together as one to participate in developing
a policy for our river. We hope that
this effort will result in long-term
teamwork by the CSRA on issues involving
the Savannah.
SkyGen
Plans Cogeneration Facility in Augusta
The
Augusta Metro area is pleased to welcome
one of its newest companies, SkyGen,
a subsidiary of Calpine Corporation.
SkyGen plans to invest $390 million
to build a cogeneration facility in
Augusta, which will produce steam and
electricity from natural gas. The company's
contract provides for steam to be sold
to DSM Chemicals North America, Inc.
and electricity to be sold to the electrical
grid. Upon completion, the facility
will employ 25 full time employees.
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