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High Falls Lake is downstream of a growing number of large data center and industrial projects being approved or proposed within the Towaliga River watershed. These facilities place cumulative pressure on the same river system that feeds High Falls Lake, High Falls State Park, and surrounding communities.

Upstream development does not stay upstream. Increased water withdrawals, land clearing, grading, impervious surface, and stormwater runoff move downstream through the Towaliga River and its tributaries. What happens upstream directly affects water quality, water quantity, flood risk, and ecological health at High Falls Lake and communities along this watershed.

Multiple data centers are already approved or proposed upstream along the I-75 corridor within the Towaliga watershed. These projects involve hundreds to thousands of acres, multi-building campuses, and long-term water and power demand.

Data centers pose documented risks when clustered within a single watershed. These include high daily water use for cooling, increased sediment and pollutant runoff during construction, permanent loss of natural land cover, and strain on local water and sewer infrastructure. When reviewed individually, these impacts are minimized. When combined, they become significant.

High Falls Lake already serves recreation, wildlife habitat, tourism, and quality of life for residents across multiple counties. Decisions made upstream affect everyone downstream, yet cumulative watershed impacts are rarely studied or disclosed to the public.

This petition calls on county and state officials to pause and reassess before irreversible harm occurs.

We ask decision makers Butt Count, Lamar County, Spalding County, and Monroe County - City of Forsyth to take the following actions.

First, halt rezoning, annexation, and approval of new data centers or industrial projects within the Towaliga watershed until a cumulative watershed impact study is completed and made public.

Second, require full Development of Regional Impact review for projects that involve large acreage, high water use, or proximity to the Towaliga River and its tributaries.

Third, require public disclosure of projected water use, wastewater handling, stormwater management, and long-term operational impacts before approvals are granted.

Fourth, adopt stronger protective buffers and watershed-based planning standards for all development upstream of High Falls Lake The Towaliga river and Ocmulgee river.

Sign this petition to protect High Falls Lake, the Towaliga watershed, and the communities that depend on them from unchecked upstream industrial expansion.