Summer 2006 Volume 2Mayor Shirley Franklin enjoyed her August boat ride on the Chattahoochee River so much that she immediately requested another trip. That trip, which took place on May 26, showcased the river and justified the Mayor’s conviction that the billion-dollar cost of the Clean Water Atlanta program was money well spent.
Along with Mayor Franklin, Department of Watershed Commissioner Rob Hunter and Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Executive Director Sally Bethea embarked on a morning trip on the river, putting in at the river intake near the RM Clayton Water Reclamation Center, and motoring up to Powers Island, just outside of I-285. On the way, they saw encouraging signs of the river’s health – birds, including Canada geese, mallard ducks and great blue herons; a river otter and a trout fisherman.
“If you listen to this river, you will hear the heartbeat of Atlanta,” the Mayor said after the trip. “This river and its tributaries are the City’s arteries and veins. And just like with us, when the arteries get clogged, that’s trouble.” Franklin also reiterated her support for the Clean Water Atlanta projects that will reduce pollution in the Chattahoochee.
Bethea thanked Franklin for her support of the Riverkeeper and efforts to clean up the river and urged people to participate in the Back to the Chattahoochee River Race and Festival on June 10.
After the remarks, volunteers from the Department of Watershed Management, along with youths from the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency’s YES (Youth Employment Services), joined National Park Service personnel and volunteers and fanned out across Powers Island to pull up Chinese privet, a non-native, invasive plant that has taken hold in the area, crowding out native vegetation.
Lab Earns NELAP CertificationLab personnel at the Utoy Water Reclamation Center have a reason to be proud. The lab was recently awarded certification under the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP). The certification means that the data generated by the lab meets NELAP’s standards for producing legally defensible data. It also means that the lab can perform contracted work throughout the state.
Certification is granted after the successful completion of two rounds of Performance Evaluation samples within a calendar year and the passing of an on-site audit.“The certification process is rigorous,” said Lab Director Thomas Bourne. “We are extremely proud of this designation.”
DWM’s Senior Citizen Discount Really HelpsJoseph Durant would probably agree that no one can predict the future. After years of self-employment and preparing for retirement, he and his wife found themselves in a tightening financial situation they hadn’t anticipated. “We took a bath in the stock market, and we’ve had a lot of family illness,” he says. “We have very little money, so any discount we can get, we need.”
The Durants are among those receiving the Senior Citizen Discount from the Department of Watershed Management (DWM). This discount is available to Atlanta water/sewer customers who:
• are 65 years old or older;
• have a maximum household income of $25,000 or less;
• are the primary titleholder or leaseholder on the property subject to the water bill;
• receive their water and sewer bill directly from the City of Atlanta.
People applying for the Senior Citizen Discount must provide proof of age, household income, and residency. While the application process can take a while, applicants who meet the eligibility requirements receive a 30 percent discount on their water and sewer bills.
Those receiving the discount do not have to reapply each year; however, they will need to renew. Anyone who received the discount last year who has not yet gotten a renewal card through the mail should call Customer Service at 404-658-6500.
Applications are available by mail by calling DWM Customer Service at 404-658-6500. Applications may also be picked up at Fulton County senior citizen facilities, Atlanta libraries, City of Atlanta recreation facilities, and the Customer Service Office at 55 Trinity Avenue, 1st Floor, City Hall. To help protect applicants’ privacy, DWM asks that they apply in person and bring all required supporting documentation to the Customer Service Office at City Hall – or to the facility from which they received the application.
People who believe they may qualify for the discount are encouraged to apply. “There are a lot of people who, despite their best efforts, wound up in financial situations that aren’t the most desirable,” says Mr. Durant. “The price of natural gas is unbelievable, gasoline is going up, and any time I can get a discount on anything, it helps.”
Bilingual
conservation workshop addresses needs of Russian seniorsODWM’s June 13 Water Conservation Workshop at the Sandy Springs Neighborhood Center was conducted in two languages: English and Russian. “There’s a fairly large Russian community there,” says Diane Badger, the public information officer who led the English-speaking portion of the workshop.
The six participants had all emigrated from Russia—several as long as 10 years ago—and all spoke and understood some English. However, their questions became far more animated and detailed when Elena Goldis began translating Badger’s descriptions of low-flow showerheads and toilets into Russian.
In particular, when Badger demonstrated how
to reduce the amount of water used by older toilets, the participants
leaned closer and asked lots of questions. Badger explained that some
older toilets used as much as seven gallons per flush. “If you
have an older toilet, we have bladders (rubber bags) that you can fill
and hang in your toilet. They displace water so your tank holds less,” Badger
said.“How long will this last?” a participant asked. “Cold water, right?” Thanks to Goldis, these questions were asked and answered to everyone’s satisfaction.
DWM began offering water conservation workshops in 2004. In the ensuing two years, the department has made representatives available to speak to groups in senior and community centers around the service area. The person leading the workshop typically distributes water conservation kits that include items such as washers, a bladder (for use in older toilets) and replacement toilet flappers. “However,” Badger explained, “the directions that come with the kit aren’t all that great, so we conduct these workshops to show [people] how to install the water-saving devices.”
The directions aren’t printed in Russian, either, which makes them especially challenging for the Sandy Springs Neighborhood Center members.
Judging by the enthusiasm in the room, the participants wanted to try the hands-on approach. “This is very useful,” said Fira, one of the participants. “I usually take care of things at home. I learned a lot.”
Elena (not the interpreter), said, “[I] see how it connects and works. I’ll be able to share my knowledge [with my family].”
Ganna agreed. “We’ll share all this with our children.”
Although the City has used both Spanish and Haitian interpreters for informational and project meetings, the June 13 workshop marks the first time a water conservation workshop has been translated into Russian. DWM’s conservation workshops are aimed at educating elderly populations about ways to both conserve water and reduce their water bills.
Stream Buffers Protect WaterwaysThe Department of Watershed Management will soon wrap up its $25 million greenway acquisition program. Under the program, the City has purchased the rights to more than 16.5 miles of streambanks across metro Atlanta that will be protected from development in perpetuity.
That protection is important because streambanks provide essential protection for rivers, streams and creeks, filtering stormwater pollution that, without them, would flow directly into waterways. But the purchase of greenways – which are defined as natural tracts of land along streams and rivers – is only one way the City is protecting its riparian corridors.
Stream buffers, areas of governmentally protected land along streambanks, also provide vital protection for waterways and reduce streambank erosion. Atlanta, like all other members of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, requires a 75-foot buffer around all its streams and rivers. That means there can be no development closer than 75 feet to a stream. Legislation that would have forbidden local governments from setting a buffer larger than 25 feet failed in the General Assembly last year.
The City believes that larger buffers are vital to the protection of the streams and their inhabitants. One University of Georgia study, commissioned by the State Legislature, showed dramatic declines in trout reproduction when a 100-foot stream buffer is reduced to 50 feet.
Clean
Water is Dirty WorkThe Department of Watershed Management is repairing and rehabilitating Atlanta’s water and sewer infrastructure. Over the next several years, this $3.9 billion overhaul will include numerous infrastructure improvement projects in neighborhoods throughout the city.
If you live or work in the Atlanta area, you may have noticed one or more of our projects in progress. Many projects require heavy construction in the roadway that can lead to significant traffic disruptions and other impacts. Please pardon our dirty work as we proceed with construction that will allow us to provide clean, safe water to all Atlantans.
For project-related questions or concerns, call the Clean Water Atlanta Helpline at 404.529.9211 or visit www.cleanwateratlanta.org for more project information.
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Battle
of the TBMsTwo tunnel boring machines, Rocky and Rocksanne, are excavating the City’s 8.5-mile-long, 27-foot diameter Combined Sewer Overflow tunnel. Rocksanne is handling the RM-Clayton Water Reclamation Center to North Avenue CSO leg, while Rocky is tunneling from the Rockdale construction site to the Clear Creek CSO near Piedmont Park. Here’s how things stack up currently:
7,966 feet bored
14,011 feet remaining
8,344 feet bored
12,184 feet remaining
Coming
SoonThe City is in the process of implementing a new customer information system that will provide you with more detailed information about your account and make it easier for our Customer Service Representatives to assist you with problems and concerns. Look for a preview of the new bill in September.
In January, the City switched from a calendar fiscal year to the June-July fiscal year used by most other local governments. Because of the change, the City's 2007 rate increase will become effective on July 1. The increase, approximately 10 percent, will help fund the Clean Water Atlanta program. It will be effective through June 2007.