New Salem lashes out against County’s plans to lower Lookout Mountain Dam

The New Salem community voiced its disapproval on June 25 of the State of Georgia’s plans to lower the Lookout Mountain Dam and the Lookout Lake in response to a complaint about possible flooding.

 

Melvin Bradford said he wrote up a petition on June 25 and planned to have the community sign it before bringing it to the attention of the Dade County Board of Commissioners this Thursday. 

Melvin said the community is reaching out to the Georgia Environmental Protection Department, District 53 State Senator Jeff Mullis and District 1 State Representative Colton Moore to seek ways to stop the state’s plans.

 

County Executive Ted Rumley said that the plans include lowering Lookout Mountain Dam by four feet to make it a category 2 – low-risk dam. The state will also lower the lake by an additional four feet. The New Salem community believes this will greatly harm the lake.

 

“They’re really upset about it,” Dade County Commissioner Allan Bradford said.

 

Melvin said there may not even be a lake left when the project is finished.

 

“They’ve already lowered it four feet and they want to go down – I don’t know – five or eight more feet,” Melvin said. “There isn’t going to be any lake left.”