The annual “dirty dozen” waterways list has been released by the Georgia Water Coalition (GWC).
The Ogeechee River heads the list for a second year in a row. That’s where a textile manufacturing plant’s toxic discharge led to the death of some 38,000 fish in May 2011. A hazardous waste site adjacent to Atlanta’s Hartsfield?Jackson International Airport; Glades Reservoir proposed near Gainesville; a Flint River groundwater injection experiment near Albany; Richland Creek Reservoir proposed in Paulding County; and, Rayonier’s pulp mill in Jesup complete the top six.
In what they call their “Call to Action,” GWC states:
Georgia Water Coalition’s “Dirty Dozen” list highlights the worst offenses to Georgia’s waters. What unites each of the “Dirty Dozen” is that public waters are being abused in ways that benefit a few, but harm many including property owners, downstream communities, fish and wildlife, hunters and anglers, and boaters and swimmers.
Over the past decade, the health of Georgia’s waterways has been compromised by a lack of funding for environmental protection programs and political cronyism. Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has seen its funding cut by 44 percent and staff cut by 23 percent (250 positions) since 2008, seriously jeopardizing its ability to enforce the state’s environmental laws.
You might not share GWC’s perspective on these issues, but they claim to represent “more than 175 conservation and environmental organizations, hunting and fishing groups, businesses, and faith-based organizations that have been working to protect Georgia’s water since 2002. Collectively, these organizations represent more than 300,000 Georgians.”
No one is in favor of pollution. We all want to make area waterways as pristine as humanly possible.
We invite you, therefore, to read the reports and work with GWC or individually toward our mutual goals.
