Dear Editor,

The Flint River, which originates south of Atlanta and flows 350 miles southeast to join the Chattahoochee River at the Ga.-Fla.-Ala. state line, is one of Georgia’s most valuable natural treasures. It is one of only 40 rivers nationwide that still flows undammed for more than 200 miles. But in October 2009, the organization American Rivers declared the Flint to be the second most endangered river in the U.S. because of renewed plans to put a dam on it. This may surprise some, who thought that the idea of damming the Flint had been put to rest back in 1974, when then-Gov. Jimmy Carter vetoed the idea. But unfortunately, the plan has been dusted off again. And most disturbingly, it has been dusted off by a man who is currently running for the office of Governor of Georgia — Nathan Deal.

In 2008,  Republican U.S. Reps. Nathan Deal and Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia sought $10 million in federal funding to study reauthorizing the series of dams that had been vetoed by Carter in 1974. Deal’s congressional district included parts of Atlanta and Lake Lanier, and he expressed his desire to reauthorize three

new dams on the Upper Flint in order to keep more water in Lake Lanier so that this water could be used by metro Atlanta. If you want to find out more about these facts on your own, just search the internet under the terms “Nathan Deal” and “Flint River”.

Please be aware of these facts before you cast your vote for Governor of Georgia next month.

Ashley Patel

Cataula, GA