Is+the+Chattahoochee+River+Dying?

Home |Science "The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives" - Native American Proverb The Chattahoochee river is one of the most popular rivers in the Metro Atlanta area. Often times, the river's importance goes unnoticed. It is only right to try to preserve the quality of the water. However, the Chattahoochee faces many complications regarding pollution. With the rapid increase of urbanization, along with careless companies, the river unfortunately made Georgia's Dirty Dozen in 2015. The location of the river is a reason why it is so polluted. The Chattahoochee runs through major cities and towns in and around the metro Atlanta area. Atlanta is a growing metropolitan city, however, The urban lifestyle and development does not come without consequences. To sustain the growing demand of entrepreneurship, tourists, and people moving in, the city of Atlanta along with the surrounding counties quickly increased in development. Jared Yamamoto says “CNN Money ranks Atlanta 10th in ‘Cities People are Moving to’ so new growth should not only be expected, but planned for as well”. Before jumping in and using scientific terms, this section is some background information about what runoff is and how it contributes to the Chattahoochee River pollution. Runoff is the process of water flowing into streams. To explain the photo in layman's terms, the precipitation falls down onto the city or town. The water collects then collects the sediment on the ground which forms into runoff. That runoff flows directly into the river. The problem with the runoff is that often times, it collects waste from urbanization. When buildings are created, the left over dust and materials are transported into the Chattahoochee. The picture also shows the discharge of waste from factories going into the stream. This happens due to businesses not being careful about how they handle their waste. Kevin Garret claims that “every acre under construction equals to a dump-truck-and-a-half of soil” running into the Chattahoochee River. As mentioned earlier, the location of the Chattahoochee is a large reason as to why it has become so polluted. The higher the population, the higher the urbanization which equates to more pollution. Smucygz et al’s findings contribute to the claim that runoff from urbanization results in more pollution. They researched the runoff concentration in three different subbassins. Peachtree creek is the most urbanized which is around the Atlanta area, Big creek which is in a metro Atlanta suburban area, and Snake creek which is the most rural. Smucygz et al's results make it apparent that the levels of runoff found in the different subbassins of the Chattahoochee river indicate that runoff is a byproduct of urbanization. It's also found that the subbassins that have a higher amount of runoff also have a higher population. Ben Wilson interviewed Henry Cowen and asked him of first-hand experience of the Chattahoochee River pollution. Cowen said "fish kills are devastating, but unfortunately not uncommon on the Chattahoochee River due to sewage spills and toxic chemicals being emptied into the river." It has been confirmed that there was a pollution plant nearby that had "inadvertently released toxic chemicals into the river." Sewage plants often times haven't undergone basic regulatory methods for safely clearing waste. Gregory and Frick, who have based their report on the rise of fecal-coliform bacteria claim that the "possible contamination" can be due to "leaking or overflowing sewer lines or discharge from combined sewer overflows." Jason Ulseth brought up that “hundreds of businesses do not have the plans in place.” And the facilities that do have plans in place often fail to “inspect and monitor their pollution controls to make sure they are working.” Since many factories do not have the proper methods of cleaning their waste, it's easy for the waste to flow and contaminate the river.

The policy implications for environmental issues are also at fault. The governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, has done opposite of what is supposed to be done. If he wants to "save" the river, he is going to have to change the policies. According to David Pendered, Deal has actually reduced the funds for Georgia's Environmental Protection Division while increasing funds for the building of dams and reservoirs. However, it is the construction of dams an reservoirs that contributes to the runoff that is flowing into the river which ultimately pollutes it. All hope is not gone! The Chattahoochee River has Riverkeepers (CRK). It's a nonprofit organization set up specifically for preserving and protecting the river. They have over 7,000 members that make it their mission to protect the river and the wildlife in it. If you are interested in giving a helping hand to protecting the Chattahoochee River, clicking the donation button is an amazing way to protect it. **References** Ulseth, Jason. "About Us." Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. N.d Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

Cowen, Henry. Fish Kills Sewage Spills. N.d. Fish Kills and Sewage Spills in the Chattahoochee. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Fecal Coliform Bacteria Concentrations in Streams of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, May-October 1994 and 1995 (2000). Government Printing Office Catalog. Web. 19 Mar. 2011

Garret, Kevin. "River Keeping: The Struggle to Save the Chattahoochee." River Keeping. Atlanta: n.p., 2005. 86-97. Rpt. in River Keeping. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.

Hansen, David. Untitled. N.d. Web. 23. Apr. 2016

Kundell, Jim. Chattahoochee River near Helen Georgia. N.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

Pendered, David. "Report: Stormwater Runoff from Industrial Sites Endangers Chattahoochee River Basin." Saporta Report. Saporta Report, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

Smucygz, Barbara, Joradan A. Clayton, and Zoia Comarova. "Comparison of Changes in Runoff and Channel Cross-sectional Area as a Consequence of Urbanization for Three Chattahoochee River Subbasins, Georgia, USA." Southeastern Geographer 50.4 (2010): 468-83. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.

Ulseth, Jason. "Weakend State Agency Allows Industries to Foul River." 2014's Worst Offenses Against Georgia's Water (2014): 1-2. Garivers. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

Wilson, Ben. "Fish Kills and Sewage Spills in the Chattahoochee River." //The// //Atlas//. CW Magazine, 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

Yamamoto, Jared. "Atlanta Is Growing Rapidly, For Now." WSB Radio. Cox Media Group, 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.