by Alexandra Taylor
Dean and Karen Wood, University of West Georgia alumni and owners of Southern Research, a historic preservation consulting company, visited UWG in September to speak about their newest conservation project.
The project, titled the “Chattahoochee River Ecosystem Restoration Project,” is a plan to remove the 19th century dams in the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, Georgia. The main goal is to remove all of the old mill dams to allow the Chattahoochee River to flow freely and to re-establish habitats in the river for native fish.
“Columbus developed into a industrial town because of the water power,” Dean says. “Using water power is a very reliable source of energy. However, since times have changed, the dams are no longer needed.”
These old dams were responsible for providing a tremendous amount of water power for the city of Columbus during the 19th and early 20th century. The first dam on this part of the Chattahoochee River that was built to harvest water power was constructed in 1828. Southern Research’s job is to also record important findings about these dams before they are removed.
Dean and his wife Karen were among the first anthropology majors to graduate from UWG in 1972 and have since worked together to preserve historical structures in the Southeast. Their company, Southern Research, specializes in water power preservation and is one of the best qualified cultural resource management firms in the Southeast. Together, Dean and Karen have 65 years of historic preservation experience and have worked on numerous projects since Southern Research’s beginning in 1993.
“The main part of this restoration project that we are responsible for is to provide recreation via the significant rapids that have re-appeared once the dams were removed,” Karen explains. “People come to Columbus now to raft down the river, that was the ultimate goal of this project.”
Dean describes the project as being the pinnacle of the historical industrial water power sites. “Neither of us have ever done something like this,” Dean says. “It’s bigger, more complex, fascinating and dangerous all at the same time but is very exciting in terms of a career.”
The project has been in progress for about two years, and Dean estimates it will be finished by the end of 2013. “This is the kind of project that has to be done in stages,” Karen says. “We have to work with other engineers and architects to get it done in a timely manner but also efficiently.”
For more information, please visit the College of Social Sciences website at www.westga.edu/coss/index_139.php.
