KEEP TOWALIGA STRONG
Current Status Report
A Message to Our Community — This Is a Win Many of you recently received a packet in the mail from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). We want to explain why you received it—and why it represents a real win for our community, not a defeat. Projects like this are often approved in a matter of months. This one took 18 months. That delay happened for one reason: you showed up. More than 600 public comments were submitted in opposition to the stream buffer variance affecting High Falls Lake and the Towaliga watershed. Many of you attended community meetings, asked hard questions, and supported our house-to-house effort to make sure neighbors understood what was at stake. Because of that, EPD was required to formally document and distribute a commenters package. The packet you received is proof that this process could not move forward quietly or quickly. It shows the agency—and anyone reviewing the record—that this is a galvanized community that cares about its lake and its environment. This collective effort did more than slow the process. It helped establish the High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance as a recognized, organized voice for residents, lake users, and downstream communities. That standing strengthens our position as we move into the next phase. We are continuing our work and preparing next steps. We will share more soon. We will also be announcing our annual meeting shortly, where we will talk about what this victory means, what comes next, and how we continue protecting High Falls Lake and the Towaliga watershed together. Please share this message with friends and neighbors. This progress belongs to the entire community. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for speaking out. This is what community action looks like—and it works.
High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance Protecting our lake. Protecting our watershed. Protecting our future.
High Falls Lake, GA — October 6, 2025
The High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance (HFTWA) has been awarded a ChangeX Community Fund grant — supported by Amazon — to expand community-led water quality monitoring across the Towaliga River watershed.
This funding will allow HFTWA to extend its monitoring work beyond High Falls Lake, adding new sampling sites along creeks, tributaries, and headwaters in Henry and Butts Counties — areas where rapid growth and stormwater runoff are increasing pressure on water quality.
Working alongside the High Falls Lake Association, four certified Georgia Adopt-A-Stream volunteers conduct monthly bacterial, pH, and chemical testing. All results will be published publicly in the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream database, increasing transparency and helping residents, HOAs, and local officials make informed decisions about lake health.
In the first year, the project is expected to directly engage 250–300 residents and indirectly benefit more than 2,000 community members who depend on High Falls Lake and the Towaliga River for recreation, property value, and quality of life.
“This initiative builds trust, transparency, and accountability,” said [HFTWA spokesperson]. “Local citizens deserve real data — because protecting this watershed must be a community effort.”
About HFTWA
The High Falls Towaliga Watershed Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the environmental health and water quality of High Falls Lake and the Towaliga River Basin through citizen science, education, and advocacy. Learn more at www.hftwa.org
NEWS
After years of negotiations and county meetings to resolve this development, unfortunately we have to hire the services of a lawyer. Your contribution strengthens our legal fight to hold our county-state officials accountable and protect our watershed and our communities.
Inspirations
"The proper use of science is not to conquer nature but to live in it"
Barry Commoner
