An I-Team investigation looked into the problems of soil erosion polluting Georgia's streams, rivers, and lakes. Senior I-Team reporter Dale Russell found the biggest polluter in the state - was the State Department of Transportation.
New state regulations that guide developers on how to control run-off have given the State Environmental Protection Division the teeth it needed to control developers and protect Georgia's rivers and lakes. So, imagine the surprise when homeowners at Lake Burton found their biggest problem was the state itself.
I can remember as a young boy, growing up in Atlanta, the magic of spending a Saturday afternoon crashing through the woods, finding a cool, clear stream, taking off your shoes and wading barefoot through the water. My brothers and I would often spend hours, searching for crawdads or simply tying an old rope to a large Oak tree limb, so we could swing out over the creek and drop feet first into the stream.
A little slice of heaven.
It seems no one had to worry about the health of our streams and rivers then. Now, it is a constant battle.
Pollution comes in many forms. Soil erosion isn't exactly sexy and doesn't grab headlines. But I've learned while researching this story how critical it is to the health and ecology of our watershed. I don't think I'll ever look at a construction site, or a tiny feeder stream the same.
If our story makes you want to learn more, I'd recommend the following websites. If you have any you like, that I missed, email them to me and we'll include them on the list.
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One thing we learned from our research is that well meaning government regulators don't have the staff to be everywhere at once. So, if you truly want to protect your neighborhood, you must be on the look-out for polluters.
I asked the experts at Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper for their best advice for homeowners, based on years of fighting to protect Georgia's watershed.
Here is what they say:1) Attend county or city planning commission meetings to learn about upcoming developments, or locate construction sites by zoning signs, tree cutting or other site-clearing activities.
2) Locate the construction activity on a map and determine which stream or waterbody it drains into,
3) Without trespassing, watch for violations such as: dirt tracked into roads, silt fences falling down or more than half full, no straw, mulch or other covering over exposed dirt where there has been no activity for at least 14 days, and construction activity close to streams, inside the vegetated natural buffer
4) If there are violations, document them and contact the Local Government charged with overseeing the site. Take pictures if you can. Many local governments enforce dirt laws and to find out which ones do contact the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Watershed Protection Branch at 404-675-6240. Local Governments can, and is some cases must, issue warnings and stop work orders to developers and builders, and enforce fines up to $2,500 per day. EPD enforces on GA DOT.
5) If the local government is non-responsive or does not issue construction site permits, contact the EPD at 404-463-7600. EPD offices are located throughout the state. For more information go to
www.gaepd.org/Documents/offices
Have a tip for the I-Team? Call 404-898-0242 or email the iteamatlanta@foxtv.com I-Team In either case, give us a brief description of the situation and be sure to leave a contact number so that we can get back in touch with you.
Dale Russell, I-Team