The first public comment period on the proposed Chandler Mountain Pumped Storage Project ends Saturday, and environmental groups and residents are working to make sure everyone who would be impacted has a chance to weigh in before then.

The project, proposed by Alabama Power, would build dams to create two new reservoirs, one on top of the mountain, and one in the valley below. Water then could be pumped from the lower lake to the upper one during non-peak hours, then the water could be released through turbines to generate electricity during peak hours.

But the project would require significant changes to the peaceful wooded mountaintop, and force local residents to give up their homes and lands that have been in their families for generations.

READ MORE: Chandler Mountain Project: What we know so far about the plan that could displace a town

Coosa Riverkeeper and the Alabama Rivers Alliance hosted a two-hour workshop Tuesday night at the the Steele Community Center to assist local residents with filing their comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which can approve or reject the project.

“FERC needs to hear from the community as part of them making their licensing decision,” said Jack West, special projects director for the Alabama Rivers Alliance.

About 70 people turned out for Tuesday’s event, which began with presentations from the two groups on how to leave effective public comments. Staff from the two organizations then gathered at smaller round tables with local residents to answer questions and help them navigate the comment process.

Many of the residents who attended Tuesday’s workshop said they’d been notified that their lands could be impacted, but they did not know for certain or how much impact there would be.

Mary and Wayne Thompson said they’ve lived near Chandler Mountain since 1971 and built their house from the ground up. “We want to stay here the rest of our lives and turn it over to our kids,” Mary Thompson said.

FERC project officials say eminent domain proceedings could be an option to acquire land if Alabama Power moves forward.

‘Who’s going to buy my house now?’ Alabama Power reservoir plan draws ire

“We’ve got a whole room full of really engaged, really active people writing comments to a federal agency in a rural Alabama town, which you don’t get on every Tuesday night,” West said during Tuesday’s session.

The groups also had several laptops set up and available for people to submit comments electronically through the FERC comment web site.

“Filing comments with the federal government can be an intimidating process,” West said. “It is a first for probably most people here. And we’re here to help demystify the process, help people through the technical hurdles.”

‘This will destroy our town’ Residents fight Alabama Power on dams, reservoirs

The map below, compiled by the Rivers Alliance based on publicly available information, shows the approximate location of the project, and which areas would be impacted. The slider shows the land as it is now and as it would be if the project moves forward as planned.

According to project application documents filed by Alabama Power, the company would build a large dam atop Chandler Mountain to create a 526-acre upper reservoir, and six dams in the valley below to create a crescent-shaped 1,026-acre lower reservoir.

Water could then be pumped from the lower reservoir to the top when power is abundant and released in times of high usage like hot summer days or cold winter mornings.

Because the water levels in these lakes would fluctuate by as much as 60 feet during that process, the lakes would not be available for recreational use.

The first round of public comments is over what studies Alabama Power should be required to conduct before moving forward with the project, such as environmental impacts, culturally significant sites like historic or Native American sites, and the hydrology and geology of the area.

Alabama Power said that while it filed preliminary application for the project, many details have not been finalized and the company may ultimately choose not to move forward with the project.

“It is important to remember that no decisions have been made; we are in the preliminary stages of exploring the opportunity at Chandler Mountain,” Alabama Power said in an emailed statement in July.

People living within the proposed footprint of the project were notified by Alabama Power via certified mail, but some living nearby say they only recently heard about the project from neighbors or on social media.

Keli Feely and her son Weston attended Tuesday’s session, said they were not notified of the project despite living very near a proposed water intake that would take water from the Coosa River and Neely-Henry Lake to fill the reservoirs when needed.

“We accidentally found out about it by another neighbor that just bought a house two doors down that found out because somebody sent him it on Facebook,” Keli Feely said. “So we never got notified at all.”

Keli Feely said she bought her house near where Big Canoe Creek enters Lake Neely Henry to retire on the lake and be closer to her mother, who lives in the area.

“My mom’s 84 and I expected to be able to take care of her there,” she said. “So it’s just really upsetting to not know whether I’m going to be able to do that.”