Bluff dam should be demolished

Demolish the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam? I certainly hope so!

This should have been done in 2000, when I and other concerned citizens and biologists testified to the ecological benefits of such an action. Of course we were ridiculed and demeaned by well-meaning, but shortsighted, so-called river lovers.

These folks think a free-flowing Savannah River would destroy the aesthetics of Riverwalk Augusta, destroy property, and interfere with boating on their section of the "pond."

I would like to suggest that, for far less than $18 million, we could get cleaner water and a far better fishery. Some of the money saved by not rebuilding the dam could be used to revegetate and shore up exposed banks, create additional pathways, design a new marina and allow free boating access (think: tourism) from south Augusta all the way to Savannah.

The professionals in the state agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service certainly know a lot more about the river than some self-serving locals; the professionals' suggestions about what can and should be done to restore river health deserve far more consideration. After all, this is a public resource and public money we are talking about.

Judy Gordon, Evans