Claimants against Savannah River drawdown have to sue

AUGUSTA - The city of Augusta and others who claim damages from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers&#39; drawdown of the Savannah River two and a half years ago will have to sue to recover. <br> <br> ``It is our position the government is not liable for your claim,&#39;&#39; the Army&#39;s Tort Claims Division chief, Col. Marvin Olmscheid, wrote. <br> <br> Olmscheid&#39;s letter informed the city and others that if they were not satisfied, ``you may file suit in an appropriate U.S. District Court.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Nine claims totaling $1.7 million in damages were filed after the river was drained from downtown Augusta to New Savannah Bluff Dam on Jan. 17, 2000. As the waters receded, cave-ins along the riverbanks swallowed seawalls and other property. <br> <br> The drawdown was an experiment to determine potential impacts of removing New Savannah Bluff Dam. A decision was made later to repair the aging dam and turn its maintenance over to a coalition of local governments. <br> <br> The city filed claims totaling $199,614 for damages at New Savannah Bluff Park, which is operated by the city&#39;s Recreation Department. Those costs were borne by local taxpayers. <br> <br> Other claimants included Goodale Landing property owners, who contended their seawall incurred $1.2 million in damages.