Reporting Trip: Ben Burton Park

As part of my reporting on renewable energy in Athens, I visited Ben Burton Park, former home of the Tallassee Shoals hydroelectric facility. The station was built in 1896 and ran until it was dismantled in 1964. I found a page from the Library of Congress with photos of the original dam, and was able to visit the ruins of it.

The park’s trails are built along the Middle Oconee River, and it was easy to see how the river’s strong flow benefitted the production of hydroelectric power. Unfortunately, I visited the park around 10 a.m. on a cold morning, and only saw two other people there — neither of whom wanted to talk to me about the area and renewable energy.

Through some research, I found out that there is a new Tallassee Shoals hydroelectric facility about 10 minutes away, on Tallassee Road. The new facility apparently began operating in 1984. Seeing the ruins of the old facility made me wonder if it’s possible for more plants to be built along the Oconee river. Part of Athens-Clarke County’s renewable energy goal is to produce 60% of its energy within the county, so increased hydroelectric power generation could be a valuable step toward achieving that goal.