Protect Tallulah Falls: No Eminent Domain for Demorest’s Water Expansion
The City of Demorest is attempting to use eminent domain to take private property inside Tallulah Falls—a separate municipality with its own zoning and land-use authority. This isn't just a property rights issue. It's about protecting one of Georgia's most natural treasures.
Tallulah Lake feeds into the Tallulah Gorge ecosystem. Construction on this seized land would mean blasting, trenching, and heavy equipment near the shoreline. The risks are real: increased sedimentation that harms fish habitat, damaged riparian buffers, disrupted wildlife corridors, and long-term threats from buried infrastructure. Tallulah Falls residents didn't elect Demorest's officials—but their decisions would reshape our lake and our community.
I started a petition asking Demorest to stop this condemnation effort and respect local control. If you believe cities shouldn't take private land outside their borders to expand their own projects, or if you're concerned about protecting mountain lakes and the ecosystems they support—this matters. If this resonates with you, consider signing and sharing. What would you want someone to do if this was your community?