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Laurens Co. Commits to Clean Up Impaired Waters By STEPHANIE MILLER The Oconee River is not the only body of water causing concern in Laurens County because of water quality. A group of county leaders met Wednesday at the Laurens County Commissioners Office to talk with a member of University of Georgia's River Basin Center to discuss the watershed streams and creeks that are listed on the State of Georgia's 303(d) list of impaired waters. Although Laurens County has several watersheds on the list, sections of Turkey Creek and Pugh's Creek are the most seriously impaired bodies of water in the county on the list. Turkey Creek is on the west side of the county and Pugh's Creek is on the east side. "We had talked some time ago and we realized we're so close to having one of the greatest areas of the state (for outdoor water sports), except in certain areas the fish are not safe to eat," said state Rep. DuBose Porter, as he explained students from the River Basin Center will come into the area, do field testing, try to find what is causing the water to be impaired and make recommendations to clean the water up. "They've done a lot of other communities this way. They're targeting areas where you can start getting advice on how to turn things around," he said, but added that even with the testing and advice the process is something the community needs to be completely behind. "You just can't do this without everybody at the table," he said, explaining it will take both landowners and community leaders to work together to solve the problems causing the creeks to be impaired once those causes are determined. Porter said cleaning the impaired waterways will only enhance economic development for the area. "This is just a great story to tell for economic development," he said, adding the success of improving the water quality locally will only add to the local history concerning the creeks. "The history of the people who fish and play on Turkey Creek goes so far back," said Porter. He said he has spent his childhood on the banks of Turkey Creek. "I'm like DuBose," said Laurens Sheriff Bill Harrell. "As a child I ran all those creeks." "I still am," said Laurens County Administrator Brian Rogers, who said he spends time hunting and fishing Turkey Creek near his home and near the river. Christine Rodick, a project manager for the River Basin Center at UGA, told the group a 21-mile section of Turkey Creek was listed as impaired in 2001 because of fecal coliform levels above the limits. The impaired sections are from Horse Branch to Rocky Creek and then from Rocky Creek to the Oconee River. Pugh's Creek is listed as a "dead" creek because of the dissolved oxygen level is too high. "Nothing can live in there," said Rodick. She told the group that students will map the problem areas and attempt to find the source of the impairment so that it can be eliminated. "Once we identify the problem area...we will craft a plan meet the goals in 'X' amount of time," she said. In addition the students will look at septic tank issues for the county, if that is the wish of local leaders. "Septic tank maintenance and monitoring is one of the things that keeps coming up," she said. "We're reaching out to decision makers at the local level. You guys will be deciding what we're focusing on." Rogers told there are several locations of concern with septic tank issues between state Route 80 and state Route 257. "Some of them are located right on the banks of Turkey Creek," he said as those in the meeting tried to identify possible sources of fecal coliform contamination. "I figure if there's a problem that's where it is." Laurens County Extension Agent Raymond Joyce said once a sample of the fecal coliform matter is collected it won't be left to guessing to determine what type of contamination it is. "We now have DNA testing. We can tell what kind of poop it is. We can tell if its deer, livestock or human," he said. Harrell asked if the drought will make the fecal coliform levels higher. He told Rodick about the children who have died from bacterial meningitis caused by nygleria, a parasite that thrives on warm, stagnant water where fecal coliform pooled in the river. "Usually what we see is when it's flooding it's higher because it washes off the land," she said. "What I want to do the next few months is make sure we're working on the right areas and do the mapping." Yet, she reminded the group not to expect immediate results. "It's not fast. It's not a a quick fix," she said. "I really feel like you need to do the monitoring to begin with," said Rogers. Rodick told Harrell she wanted him to be aware that once the students start work in the county he might get calls from people complaining of trespassing, but he would be aware of their whereabouts before they start everyday. "If the folks here know about what we're trying to do, they'll come up and welcome them with open arms," said Harrell, adding he can't imagine anyone in the county not wanting to help clean up the waterways. "I think we'll have a lot of community interest here," said Rogers. Porter said now is the time to take action to prevent even more serious problems. "It's not so drastic a problem that you couldn't turn this around," he said of the water quality. Published in the Dublin Courier Herald October 17, 2008 |
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