Water

LA Times coverage of GA drought
September 17, 2012

Georgia's failure to recognize the drought that has dried up creeks, rivers, and wells this year has yet to be addressed head-on by Governor Deal, according to a report in the LA Times.

A stunning statement from Deal's spokesman Brian Robinson included this, "We don't have wide-scale water shortages at this juncture."

That approach to conservation of water resources is also reflected in commetns from Environmental Protection Division staffer Napoleon Caldwell, who said "A gallon of water saved in the metro Atlanta area would fail to ensure that there would be adequate water for human consumption in southern parts of the state."

Is the State of Georgia now saying we shouldn't even try to save water?

The article describes a pro-business and anti-water conservation slant to decision making. Gil Rogers, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said this about the drought in Georgia, "It's very odd that we are into the second year of a historic drought, and we're still not hearing about it."

Gordon Rogers, Flint Riverkeeper Executive Director (no relation to Gil rogers) told the this, "Georgia is still feeling its way with water planning — or non-planning — and the response to the drought is a symptom of it."

Isakson lets taxpayers down
September 7, 2012

After raising hopes that he would intervene in the ongoing pollution problems in the Ogeechee River, the Savannah Morning News reports that Senator Johnny Isakson's office has dropped this study due to the fact that the issue is “in the adjudicative process.”

According to the Effingham Herald Isakson wasn't even aware of the fish kill in 2011 and subsequent harm to citizens and wildlife until last month.

State won't issue permits to farmers
July 31, 2012

The Environmental Protection Division in Georgia has announced that due to the exceptional drought conditions in the Southwestern areas of the state, no more agricultural water withdrawal permits will be issued.Portions of the Flint and Chattahoochee are the impacted river basins.

When water and energy collide
July 31, 2012

As the Southeast, and Georgia in particular, suffer through extreme drought conditions, new studies demonstrate the high demands placed on water by current coal and nuclear energy production.

Data show that in the early part of May, before the drought became worse, Plant Washington would have already been reliant on Plant B for the 16 milion gallons of water per day the plant would require. Read more here.

Victory in court, a new legal battle for Clean Water Act enforcement, and investigations into flame retardants
July 25, 2012

The Savannah Morning News features an editorial on Judge Turner's decision granting standing to the Ogeechee Riverkeeper and local citizens concerning legal action against King America Finishing. The editorial includes,

"The EPD should have allowed an opportunity for the public to comment before it acted. Instead, it wrongly cut a deal behind closed doors in Atlanta with King America last September. It allowed the company to pay $1 million for yet-unspecified projects on the river, rather than face stiffer penalties that could have gone higher than $90 million.

Let’s hope state Administrative Law Judge Lois Oakley, who’s based in Atlanta, takes Judge Turner’s decision to heart. This case apparently will go back to her courtroom for a second time.

In March, she ruled in favor of the EPD and King America, which wanted the Ogeechee Riverkeeper tossed out. Thanks to Judge Turner, she now has an opportunity to give Georgians what they’re entitled to, which is a full airing of the facts."

The Riverkeeper, local citizens, attorneys at GreenLaw and Don Stack and Associates aren't resting on this victory. 

Riverkeeper files under Clean Water Act

Late Monday afternoon the Ogeechee Riverkeeper filed suit against King America Finishing under the Clean Water Act. Points of violation brought in the suit include discharge of colored effluent, ammonia and formaldehyde discharge, and pH exceedances.


The Savannah paper quotes Riverkeeper Dianna Wedincamp saying, "King America had over a year to address serious pollution violations following the 
state’s largest fish kill, but they didn't. The government had years to stop the pollution, and they didn’t. We are asking the courts to do what the environmental law enforcers have failed to do, to stop the pollution of the Ogeechee River from King America Finishing.” 

The paper states that King American Finishing, a Chicago-based company, continued to dump into the river while a permit was being drafted, and in fact operated without a permit since 2006 in regards to the discharges which prompted this suit.

The Chicago Tribune has recently written about flame retardant chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and a Senate subcommittee are all investigating the chemicals, their effectiveness, and the impact they have on health.

Judge thinks The Force is on the side of the Riverkeeper
July 24, 2012

Bulloch County Superior Court Judge John R. Turner ruled that the citizens who use the Ogeechee River for boating, fishing, swimming, and enjoying the wildlife, along with the Riverkeeper, do have standing for legal action. He has reversed Administrative Judge Lois Oakley's ruling that these groups have no standing to take legal action against the EPD or King America Finishing for the largest fish kill in the state's history.

The judge cited various critical points of law in reaching his decision, but perhaps his citation of a philosopher from a 'long time ago in a galaxy far away" best describes the actions, or inactions, of the state's Environmental Protection Division, "It is the a priori finding of this court that a harm once done, which is unaffected by an order of the EPD, continues to be a demonstrative harm. Although it appears that the EPD was attempting to remedy the alleged harm, its actions were done without the opportunity of public notice and comment. The perfunctory solution of the EPD to such a significant problem causes the Court to recall the words of a pop culture philosopher: ‘Do or do not. There is no try.’” 

The Savannah Morning News has more coverage here. 

Water problems shut down power plants
June 6, 2012

A new report released by Nature Climate Change reveals that power plants, especially in the Southeast, have had trouble operating during extreme heat. Discharging waste water isn't permited if river temperatures are too high, resulting in plant shut downs.

As well, "Vulnerablity of US and European Electrcity Supply to Climate Change" shows that flow river flow and water levels also results in "heat" pollution, which impacts the fish and wildlife living downstream from a dumping pipe.

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.

• EPD calculates Plant Washington amounts of mercury and arsenic for plant landfill
  
  
• GA Mercury Impaired Waters (PDF)
  
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• Study of Mercury Contamination in Ogeechee River Fish