Watershed Assessments
Engineers, scientists, and policy experts at The University of Georgia
work with cities and counties throughout the state to conduct watershed
assessments that meet regulatory requirements and provide a roadmap for
managing water resources as populations grow. The University of Georgia
has a mandate to serve, and faculty and staff at UGA meet that mandate
with an extensive toolbox of skills ready to serve the scientific, technical,
policy, planning and management needs of municipalities.
What is a Watershed Assessment?
Watershed Assessments allow communities to manage and protect their water
resources by understanding the mechanisms affecting the watershed. Watershed
assessments have many components in common. Historical data are gathered
from a multitude of sources, such as the US Geological Survey, National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, and municipalities.
Field data, to provide a baseline understanding of the current situation,
include: biological, water quality and quantity, and soil sampling results.
To gather these data, field crews visit key sites on the rivers in the
watershed to check parameters such as stream depths, temperature, and
nitrogen levels. Especially during storm events, samplers can be seen
filling bottles and manipulating meters to capture a snapshot of the river
as it responds to surface runoff. Biological sampling helps to round out
the picture, providing insight into what the river looks like between
sampling events.
Land use and zoning information, along with field data, create the foundation
for watershed modeling. These computer models, used in conjunction with
input from the community about growth patterns, allow cities and counties
to experiment with different future growth scenarios. Communities can
see how water quality will respond to where and how development occurs.
The Watershed Assessments Plans, the final product of these assessments,
offer communities options so that they can take action to protect their
water resources as they grow.
For information about how the University of Georgia can help your
community conduct a Watershed Assessment, contact Hillary Smith at hsmith@engr.uga.edu
or call (706) 542-0256. You can also visit the Watershed Group's website athttp://watershed.engr.uga.edu
.
Valdosta, GA: UGA Expertise Works in Conjunction with
Local Understanding The City of Valdosta is a large community of about 48,000 people,
located in south central Georgia. Two of Georgia's major rivers, the Little
River and the Withlacoochee River, flow through Valdosta. The City of
Valdosta has experienced a great increase in population over the last
10 years and is seeking to increase wastewater discharge at the City's
Mud Creek Wastewater Treatment plant and to possibly construct a new plant
in the near future.
The University of Georgia's Watershed Group, in conjunction with City
Engineers and other Valdosta City Officials, chose the Stormwater Management
Model (SWMM) because of its ability to model predominantly urban areas
as well as the City of Valdosta's previous experience with SWMM. Modeling
using SWMM is in progress, and the final round of data collection is underway.
In addition to biological and habitat assessments and grab water quality
sampling, storm event sampling is being conducted with sophisticated automated
samplers and meters. These samples will be very important in determining
exactly what kinds of pollutants are being flushed into streams during
a heavy rain.
Lowndes County, GA: Big Rivers, Growing Populations,
and a Variety of Land Uses
Lowndes County is a highly populated county of about 92,000 people (44,000
not including the City of Valdosta), located in south central Georgia.
The county hosts some of Georgia's major rivers, the Withlacoochee River
and the Little River. Lowndes County is growing rapidly and sought the
expertise of The University of Georgia's Watershed Group to conduct the
watershed assessment required to update the Lowndes Regional Wastewater
Treatment Facility from 0.5 mgd to 2.0 mgd.
UGA's Watershed Group chose the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)
to model Lowndes County's watersheds. SWAT had the ability to model the
mix of urban and agricultural areas found in Lowndes County. According
to collected data and modeling predictions from SWAT, Lowndes County's
streams are in fairly good health. Of course, as with any urban setting,
there is a need to implement measures that protect the streams from increasing
urban runoff. The Watershed Group has submitted a Watershed Management
Plan to Lowndes County for their approval and will soon be working with
the County on the implementation phase of the project.
Thomasville, GA: A Proactive Approach to Watershed Management
The City of Thomasville is a medium-sized community of 19,100 people,
located in south central Georgia. Several streams in the Thomasville area
are being examined for the watershed assessment conducted by UGA's Watershed
Group. The City of Thomasville is not seeking to update an NPDES permit
at this time, but is looking ahead and planning to use the findings of
the watershed assessment when the time comes to update their wastewater
treatment plant. This watershed assessment will provide Thomasville with
critical baseline information about watershed health and will enable the
town to quickly and efficiently respond to increasing needs for greater
discharge capacity.
The Thomasville project is in the beginning phases. Biological and habitat
assessments have been conducted and some data has been collected. A pollutant
loading model has not been selected for Thomasville, but many characteristics
of the watersheds associated with Thomasville will be taken into account
during model selection. Storm events will be sampled in the next phase
of the project. The Watershed Group plans to install automated samplers
at key areas in Thomasville in the near future.
Fort Valley, GA: Several Jurisdictions Working Together
to Prepare for the Future The City of Fort Valley watershed assessment project has just begun.
Fort Valley is a small community in central Georgia and is the home of
about 8,000 people. Fort Valley, the City of Byron, and the unincorporated
areas of Peach County are exploring new options for wastewater treatment
and have opted to conduct watershed assessments simultaneously. By working
together to conduct a watershed assessment, these jurisdictions are able
to analyze more options while increasing the effectiveness and efficiency
of the watershed assessment. The Watershed Group has done some stream
surveys that will help determine the best locations for conducting biological
and habitat assessments as well as water quality sampling.
Millen, GA: A Growing Agricultural Community in the Savannah
River Watershed
The City of Millen is a small community of about 4,000 citizens, located
in the central Savannah River area of eastern Georgia. The streams in
the Millen area are slow-moving "black water" streams that discharge
into the Ogeechee River just south of the Millen city limits. As the population
of Millen grows, their need for wastewater discharge capacity continues
to increase. The City of Millen initiated a watershed assessment to meet
the requirements necessary for renewing their NPDES permit, which included
a request for increased discharge from their wastewater treatment plant
from 0.457 million gallons per day (mgd) to 1.00 mgd. Through contacts
with one of the Watershed Group's corporate partners, Carter & Sloope,
Inc, The University of Georgia's Watershed Group was invited to conduct
a watershed assessment for Millen.
Pollutant loading modeling is an important component of a watershed assessment.
To most accurately predict future pollutant loads on the streams in Millen,
the Watershed Group chose the Annualized Agricultural Non Point Source
Pollution Model (AnnAGNPS), which works well for areas that are primarily
agricultural. Using collected data and predictions from the AnnAGNPS model,
the Watershed Group provided Millen with recommendations to help maintain
stream integrity as Millen continues to grow. Recommendations focused
on the need to maintain and implement stream buffers and to adhere to
erosion and sedimentation control guidelines. These suggestions, in conjunction
with ongoing water quality sampling, biological and habitat assessment,
and modeling will help Millen continue to protect stream quality.
Watershed Management Plans: the Key to Successful Implementation A Watershed Management Plan integrates the data collection, biological
and habitat assessments, water quality sampling, and modeling results.
This plan, considered a legal document, will be part of the NPDES permit
application. The document suggests best management practices (BMP's) to
best ensure good stream health based on the findings of the watershed
assessment and visual surveys of the watersheds themselves. The Watershed
Management Plan is a unique document that incorporates the Watershed Group's
recommendations with the specific needs of city or county officials, engineers,
and other stakeholders. The incorporation of stakeholder suggestions is
key to a successful Watershed Management Plan because local officials
and citizens have the best understanding of what kind of management practices
will work for their area.
The Watershed Management Plan also outlines a schedule for continued water
quality sampling, biological and habitat assessments, as well as modeling.
It is important that cities and counties adhere to the schedule so that
the next time their watersheds need to be studied, much of the necessary
data will already be in place. More importantly, ongoing water quality
sampling and biological and habitat sampling allow a steady flow of information
to citizens who would like to be involved in protecting rivers and streams.
Citizen involvement may be the most important factor in a successful implementation
of a Watershed Management Plan. Ideas, concerns, and volunteer action
by individual citizens and civic groups, are what makes the Watershed
Management Plan truly come to life.
For information about how the University of Georgia can help your
community conduct a Watershed Assessment, contact Hillary Smith at hsmith@engr.uga.edu
or call (706) 542-0256. You can also visit the Watershed Group's website at http://watershed.engr.uga.edu
Source Water Assessments the fact-finding and technical analyses necessary to create plans for
protecting our drinking water sources.
Safe drinking water is vital to the public and economic health of a community,
and an essential part of this is protecting drinking water at its source.
Protecting public water supplies is not limited to the reservoir or section
of river that the drinking water is "pulled" from, but includes
the entire watershed that catches rainfall and collects it in interconnected
streams and lakes. Everything rainfall passes over, under, and through may
potentially end up in the drinking water supply. The drinking water source
watershed may be within the community's county, but more than likely, the
source watershed will extend well beyond county boundaries, creating interesting
technical and political challenges.
In the past, the main focus in providing safe drinking water has been on
treatment, and very little, if any, energy has been put toward the prevention
of contamination. Since the passage of the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking
Water Act, attention to the prevention of source water contamination has
increased. Cleaner source water costs less to treat, decreases the chances
of disease outbreak or toxic exposure, and simply makes good sense.
Source water protection prevents pollution from reaching the drinking water
source. However, before the source water can be protected, the potential
sources of pollution need to be identified.
A Source Water Assessment:
identifies potential pollutants of concern,
analyzes the risk to public health, and
provides data and analyses for creating a Source Water Protection
Plan.
A Source Water Assessment couples cartography with hydrologic analysis
to locate the pollutants present and discern the likelihood of human exposure.
Source water protection is a proactive approach to protecting drinking
water sources before they become contaminated.
For information about how the University of Georgia can help your
community conduct a Sourcewater Assessment, contact Bobbie Vallotton at
bvallott@engr.uga.edu or call
(706) 542-0256
