Tag: Georgia Environmental Protection Division
For decades, the Chattahoochee River was too filthy for recreation. Now, things have changed.
Until recently, it wasn’t prudent to paddle a part of the Chattahoochee River south of Atlanta. The river was septic from sewage and sludge in the late 1960s. In 1994, a new nonprofit Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (founded by my mom) started to clean things up, sue polluters, and monitor the waterway’s condition. Gradually, the river began to reawaken.
A bipartisan bill would ban future mining around Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp
The Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater swamp in North America and one of Georgia’s seven natural wonders, is a rare ecological treasure. Home to thousands of native plants and animals—including at least 15,000 alligators—it also supports a thriving tourist economy in Southeast Georgia, employing over 700 people and bringing in $64.7 million of revenue a year. But the Okefenokee’s delicate ecology is frequently threatened by mining interests: an ancient sand dune that borders the swamp is full of valuable heavy minerals, buy hydrology experts say extracting them would cause significant water loss in the Okefenokee, leading to more frequent drought and fires.
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