ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) - Supporters of Georgia’s South River are hoping it becomes more popular.
They believe that if the river south of Atlanta was used more frequently for recreation, it might bring more funding and protection.
The South River traverses for about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) from East Point into DeKalb County, before it winds south through five more metro Atlanta counties into Jackson Lake Reservoir in Butts County, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Part of the South River traverses by Panola Mountain State Park, forming the border between DeKalb and Rockdale counties.
“It’s very natural, and doesn’t really have a lot of people on it just yet. But it’s coming,” said Eric Grant, who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the river on the DeKalb-Rockdale line and often floats it in his kayak.
The hope is that more use will give it added protection from development and pollution.
“In Georgia, if you don’t use waterways, you can’t show some public connection to water quality, it won’t improve,” said Jackie Echols, the board president of the watershed alliance. “You have to use the river.”
A main problem for the South River has been sewage spills from DeKalb County.
“We made a lot of progress. The big focus from the outset was to raise public support and awareness for the river,” Echols said, “primarily due to the pollution.”
Despite its history of sewage spills, water quality in the river has improved over the last two decades, officials said, and Echols said it is safe enough for recreational uses such as kayaking.
For decades, residents around the river have battled with the city of Atlanta and DeKalb County over sewage spills into the river. From 2006 to 2008, federal and state environmental agencies fined DeKalb County hundreds of thousands of dollars because of sewer spills.
In 2010, the county entered into an agreement with the state Environmental Protection Division and federal Environmental Protection Agency to repair its aging sewer system by 2020.
Officials have invested millions in projects aimed at curbing spills, but DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond acknowledged that it will not meet the 2020 deadline.
“DeKalb County continues to make progress in our stewardship of the environment and the South River ecosystem,” Thurmond said in a statement.
Echols said the county is still not doing enough to stop the sewer spills, which remain common after periods of intense rain. DeKalb should implement more technology that prevents pollution, and environmental agencies should increase enforcement of the agreement, she said.
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