South River Fish Passage & Habitat Restoration
An ongoing initiative in partnership with The Nature Conservancy in Georgia.
Restoring safe passage for fish and paddlers at Snapping Shoals Dam has been a priority for SRWA since the launch of our recreational programming and development of the South River Water Trail. Reconnecting these riverine corridors is critical to establishing resilient ecological communities in the face of climate change. Indeed, it is of state and regional significance particularly in an increasingly urban landscape.
The highlight of our anniversary celebration this year is the announcement of a new, major project and next-level partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Together we will amplify efforts to restore flow and aquatic habitat with benefits to all communities of the South River Watershed – the people and the aquatic wildlife. Several native species of migratory fish, like American Shad, Robust Redhorse, and the American Eel (see below) once utilized the river corridor from the ocean up to the smallest headwater streams of Georgia’s inland river systems – including the upper Ocmulgee and the South River. These fish play an important role in both coastal and freshwater ecosystems, however, the fish are blocked by dams like Juliette and Lloyd Shoals dams on the Ocmulgee, and Snapping Shoals Dam on the South River.
Enter TNC in Georgia. As part of their whole systems approach to watershed conservation, TNC has identified the South River watershed as a priority headwater for the restoration and protection of the greater Altamaha River Basin. With about 60,000 acres of the South River watershed directly impacting aquatic and terrestrial resiliency from headwaters to coast, it represents opportunities to restore habitat and biodiversity, improve water quality and quantity, increase recreational opportunities, and support public safety.
This work is just beginning and is sure to be an exciting new chapter for SRWA and the South River. Please consider sponsoring our annual fundraiser, 25 in 25’, and join us in celebration of our river’s important role in restoring native fish habitat in Georgia!
Snapping Shoals Dam, owned by Henry County, is a low-head dam and the only dam on the South River.
Image credit: Adam Cressler
NATIVE FISH SPECIES: POTENTIAL FLOW & HABITAT RESTORATION, MIGRATION & RE-POPULATION
American shad, Alosa sapidissima
American Shad is an anadromous fish, meaning it migrates up rivers from the sea to spawn. It is one of the larger species in the same family as river herring. American shad are found in Georgia's coastal rivers, including the Altamaha, Savannah, and Ogeechee River systems. The fish migrate from the ocean into freshwater rivers in late winter and early spring to spawn. While once abundant, populations have declined significantly due to dams, habitat loss, and overfishing, prompting strict regulations for both commercial and recreational fishing. These fish play an important role in both coastal and freshwater ecosystems, and are also steeped in early American history with ties to George Washington and the Continental Army.
THREAT: Blocked migration routes due to dams; habitat loss; pollution, sediment, and agricultural runoff
Robust Redhorse, Moxostoma robustum
The Robust Redhorse is a rare, state-endangered suckerfish native to the southern Atlantic slope, both in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain rivers of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. It is a potamodromous fish because it makes predictable, seasonal movements within its river system for spawning.
This species was “lost to science” for over 120 years after its initial description in the Yadkin River near Winston-Salem, NC. Specimens were finally correctly identified in the 1990s. In Georgia, the redhorse is found in the Atlamaha River system - specifically the Oconee and Ocmulgee. Stocked populations can be found in the Broad and Ogeechee Rivers.
THREAT: Blocked migration routes due to dams; habitat loss; pollution, sediment, and agricultural runoff
American Eel, Anguilla rostrata
American Eels are a species of conservation concern and Georgia's only native freshwater eel – found in both freshwater rivers and brackish coastal waters. These snakelike, slimy fish are catadromous, meaning they spend their adult lives in freshwater and estuaries before migrating to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and die. While they live in Georgia's waters, they are considered an endangered species.
THREAT: Blocked migration routes due to dams; habitat loss; pollution, sediment, and agricultural runoff
