Project Overview
The Ocmulgee River in Georgia provides vital resources to the region — wildlife, fisheries, water supply, recreation, hydropower, and cultural heritage. Juliette Dam, built in 1921, stands less than 20 miles downstream of the origin of the Ocmulgee River in Jackson Lake, a hydropower reservoir. For over a century, Juliette Dam powered Georgia’s thriving textile and grain mills and shaped the identity of the communities of Juliette and East Juliette. The dam gained wider recognition when it was featured in the 1991 Hollywood film Fried Green Tomatoes. Today, Juliette Dam remains a source of local pride—a place where residents fish and visitors photograph the historic structure and cascading water. Upstream and downstream of Juliette, the Ocmulgee River and nearby public lands are popular recreation spots for anglers, paddlers, hunters, and nature enthusiasts.
Now over 100 years old, Juliette Dam is privately owned and no longer maintained or inspected since it lost its federal hydropower license in 2014 for a failure to build fish passage. The integrity of the Dam will continue to decline over time, raising questions about structural condition, public safety, and future management. Residents have voiced concerns about safety around the Dam, the lack of hazard signage, and trespassing and illicit activity on the secluded property.
The challenges surrounding Juliette Dam are not unique. In recent decades, communities across the US have wrestled with the problem of aging dams, many of which are also privately owned and obsolete. Many communities have found solutions that resulted in increased safety, expanded recreational opportunities, increased tourism, a healthier environment, and economic growth.
There is a unique opportunity right now through a joint project between The Nature Conservancy and the University of Georgia’s River Basin Center, with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to support local communities in developing a shared vision for the future of the Ocmulgee River and Juliette Dam.
Our goals are to listen first, then support discussions with the local community about the future of these resources. The project will also assess the river’s environmental condition. Funding is available to evaluate the safety and condition of the Dam, which would provide valuable information to community discussions about the Dam’s future.
Our team can also work with the community to explore additional funding resources that could support historic preservation, improve recreational access, and enhance the river’s health for both people and wildlife, including fishes like Atlantic Sturgeon and American Shad. Scan the QR code to learn more about the project.