The Georgia Water Coalition has released its Dirty Dozen report for 2019 highlighting 12 of the worst offenses to Georgia’s waters.
Rather than identifying the “most polluted places” in Georgia, the Dirty Dozen report instead focuses on the politics, policies and issues that threaten the health of Georgia’s water and its residents
“We wished we didn’t need to publish this report,” said Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, Executive Director and Riverkeeper with the Coosa River Basin Initiative in Rome. “But, every year, new threats to Georgia’s water arise and unfortunately, the state’s lax enforcement of environmental laws and its failure to fully-fund important environmental programs continues.”
The list includes the following:
• Altamaha River: Rayonier Advanced Materials chemical pulp mill in Jesup makes record seventh appearance in Dirty Dozen report.
• Chattahoochee River: Georgia Power Company determines “safe” coal ash cleanup plans for power plants in Cobb, Coweta and Carroll counties while Georgia leaders are idle on stronger requirements.
• Coosa River: Suspect coal ash disposal plan threatens river and groundwater.
• Georgia’s Headwater Streams: Rollback to federal environmental rules endanger national forests, the birthplaces of Georgia’s drinking water sources.
• Georgia’s Public Health: Legislative budget writers continue stealing from environmental funds and delay hazardous waste cleanups.
• Georgia’s Rural Communities: Proposed legislation would stomp on rural property rights and welcome industrial agriculture—and its pollution—to Georgia.
• Lake Lanier: Chronic pollution at private sewage treatment plant highlights state’s failure to enforce clean water standards.
• Ocmulgee River: Coal ash ponds pollute drinking water in Monroe and Macon-Bibb counties.
• Okefenokee Swamp: Proposed 2,400-acre titanium mine threatens signature landscape of Georgia.
• St. Mary’s River: Legislative loophole invites out-of-state toxic coal ash to Georgia landfills, including one in Charlton County
• St. Simons Sound: Cargo ship disaster fouls marshes and beaches
• Terry Creek: Proposed federal cleanup plan for toxic site in Brunswick leave locals fuming.
Read the full report and details at this link.