Water

SB 269 gives EPD and polluters a hall pass! Call today!
February 2, 2012

SB 269 came out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and Jesse Stone, who represents communities where the Ogeechee and other polluted creeks flow, is on that committee! NO FREE PASS FOR POLLUTERS!!!

Call Sen Jack Hill at 404.656.5038, Johnny Grant at 404.656.0082, and Buddy Carter at 404.656.5109 and ask them to VOTE NO in the Senate Rules Committee on this bill as it is written. Then let Jesse Stone know that we expect him to stand up for clean water in our communities. His number is 404.463.1314.

Georgia tops lists of water stressed states in new report
November 16, 2011

The Union of Concerned Scientists were in Atlanta to release a new report focusing on the amount of water used to create electricity in our country. Plant Washington is listed on page 28 when the already stressed Upper Oconee is discussed as one of the 25 most stressed rivers in the country.

News coverage from a presentation made at Georgia Southern University is here.

Ogeechee lands on Dirty Dozen twice, Sandersville listed too
November 7, 2011

The Georgia Water Coalition has just released the Dirty Dozen, its list of polluted or threathened water resources in Georgia.

Neill Herring with the Sierra Club, is quoted in the Macon Telegraph on the current health of our rivers and state oversight, “We don’t have regulation any more,” Herring said. “We have the idea of it that serves as a shield for the polluters.”

Sally Bethea, Executive Director of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper said in the AJC, “Too often in Georgia, the fox is watching the hen house,” Bethea said. “Some of the problems on this list have been happening for decades, and the agency that is supposed to fix the problems can’t, or won’t. The failures go deeper than lack of funding.”

Taxpayers footing the bill for polluters
October 13, 2011

The Savannah Morning News is reporting that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) restocked fish in the Ogeechee yesterday. Ogeechee Riverkeeper Dianna Wedincamp noted that an advisory sign saying that swimming in the river isn't safe at this time was posted at the release point. Wedincamp said that she thinks the restocking is happening too soon.

DNR used $35K in taxpayer dollars to restock the river, despite the fact that King America Finishing has admitted to dumping fire retardant chemicals into the river without a permit for five years.

FACE Executive Director Katherine Cummings spoke with Washington County's representative in the GA House, Mack Jackson, about the use of taxpayer dollars to remedy a fish kill caused by lack of state oversight and actions by a private company.

Jackson said he was not aware of the EPD's failure to find the unpermitted dumping during inspections, or the $1M consent agreement cost when the cost could have been $91M.

Jackson said that he would contact Sen. Buddy Carter, who lives near the area directly impacted by King Finishing's chemical dumping. Check here for updates.

GA legislators call for outside oversight on dumping in river
October 5, 2011

The Savannah Morning News reports that five legislators, Jack Hill (R-Reidsville), Ann Purcell (R-rincon), Buddy Carter (R-Pooler), jan Tankersley (R-Rincon). and ro Stephens (R-Savannah). They also want input into the list of proposed projects that King America Finishing will propose with the $1M settlement agreed upon with the state.

Citizens say they want the river fully restored and protected. Landowner David Gay said, “We’re not looking for goods to appease the peasants,” he said. “We’re looking for a clean environment.” Read more here.

Riverkeeper Urges Public to Attend Citizen Meeting this Sunday
September 21, 2011

Earlier today the EPD and King America Finishing announced a Consent Order following a massive fish kill in May which left the Ogeechee River filled with over 30,000 dead fish and other wildlife. This consent order does not address the skin blistering and redness that swimmers in the Bulloch and Effingham County areas experienced late last week. The EMA offices in those counties urged people to avoid swimming in the river or consuming fish caught there.

Dianna Wedincamp, the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, urges anyone worried about the health of the Ogeechee and the wildlife depending on it to attend a second public meeting this Sunday at 3:00 at Dasher Landing near Blighton, GA. (Google map and directions here).

Wedincamp will address the crowd Sunday about the EPD's action on the May contamination and update the public about the ongoing problems with protecting the river.

A Letter to the Editor in today's Savannah newspaper (released prior to the consent order) includes this," If you think the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy or the Georgia EPD is going to save the Ogeechee River, you are going to find that any of the three will be just as effective as the other.

Please attend and help us save our little river before it’s too late." Read the entire letter here.

The Ogeechee Riverkeeper will have a complete response tomorrow. Stay current, and support their work here.

Nes coverage of the Consent Degree can be found on the WSAV web site and News 12.

Ogeechee River Contamination Continues over Holiday Weekend

September 6, 2011
The Ogeechee Riverkeeper and volunteers worked through the Labor Day Weekend responding to reports of dead fish and pollution discharge in the river.

Citizens continue to find the EPD's lack of answers and slow responsiveness to be unacceptable. They have planned another Citizens' Meeting on the Ogeechee River at Dashers Landing in Blitchton at 5:00pm on Sunday, September 25.

They are inviting congressman, representatives, senators, local officials and the EPD and EPA officials to address the people and answer questions.

Stay current on these ongoing problems by checking the Ogeechee Riverkeeper web site.

Mercury

The problem in our local river:

Currently the Ogeechee River, and in fact most south Georgia streams, have high enough levels of mercury in the fish to cause birth defects and other problems for developing babies and young children.
Cleaning up the sources of mercury pollution will happen in the long-term, but there are some things you can do in the short term to protect your family.

Here are some simple solutions:

1.Reduce Your Risk

Limit Your Exposure to Contaminated Fish and Seafood: Learn how to make safer choices for you and your family.
Choose smaller fish and eat smaller portions. Mercury builds up in larger, older fish. In general, eating smaller fish will help you reduce your mercury levels.
Vary the type of fish you eat. Choosing different types of fish from different locations will help you reduce your risk.

2. Stay Informed

Visit this page to learn more about the effects of mercury on your family's health.
View the sources of mercury (hint: the big one is coal fired power plants) and how mercury gets into the rivers.
See the levels of mercury in fish near you.
View the full 2009 volunteer fish collection report.

3. Take Action

Get your mercury levels tested. Click here to learn how or talk to your doctor and find out about your mercury levels.
Reduce mercury coming into the river and save money by saving electricity!
Take the energy conservation pledge today.
VOLUNTEER to help out.

Find Out How to Protect Your Family

Air

President's Announcment Draws National Criticism
September 2, 2011

The White House announced today that President Obama has requested the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw the draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards that would have protected Americans from air pollution.

Health and environmental organizations across the country have condemned this action as a much needed means of protecting citizen health by reducing smog and other air pollutants.

Charles D. Connor, President and CEO of the American Lung Association, said, “For two years the Administration dragged its feet by delaying its decision, unnecessarily putting lives at risk. Its final decision not to enact a more protective ozone health standard is jeopardizing the health of millions of Americans, which is inexcusable.

The American Lung Association now intends to revive its participation in litigation with the Administration, which was suspended following numerous assurances that the Administration was going to complete this reconsideration and obey the law. We had gone to court because the Bush Administration failed to follow the law and set a protective health standard."

Critics of the decision have said that the White House has put the profits of the oil and coal burning industries ahead of the health of citizens.

Carbon limits a boon for traders

Professor Judith A. Curry, the chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been warning people about the dangers of climate change for years.

She said that most of the trees being reserved as carbon banks are already storing the carbon. A promise to not cut the tree down isn’t a lasting solution. Read the entire article here.

Farmers, pecan growers say coal plant kills plants

Retired University of Georgia plant pathologist Floyd Hendrix, who has done extensive research on sulfur dioxide damage to vegetation, said he has reviewed photographs and test results from Hayek's grove.

"From what I've seen so far, there's not any doubt in my mind that it's SO2 injury," Hendrix said. Read more here.

Coal Plant Pollution Kills Pecan Trees, Wrecks Family's Livelihood

The frustrated 73-year-old had spent thousands of dollars on technology and improvements to try to resolve the problem at his Central Texas ranch without ever learning what was killing the trees that had supported three generations of his family. Now, 18 years after his death, Baca's son-in-law, Harvey Hayek, believes he's solved the mystery: Sulfur dioxide pollution from a nearby coal-fired power plant has slowly killed two-thirds of his family's 250-acre pecan orchard. Read more here.

Clusters of Death

In many places around Western Pennsylvania residents see clusters of death and clusters of people sickened by cancer or heart and lung diseases.

And, like Lee Lasich, a Clairton resident, they're frustrated that government health and environmental agencies don't see them too, don't do something about the problems and don't take a tougher stance on enforcement of air pollution regulations. Read more here.