Water

Speak up for the Ogeechee!
May 7, 2012

King America Finishing (KAF), which dumped chemicals into the Ogeechee River for five years with a permit, coupled with the EPD's failure to learn that during site inspections, has requested a permit to discharge into the river. A public comment session will be held on June 12 at 7:00 in Effingham County.

Over 38,000 fish and other wildlife died a year ago downstream from KAF, which was the largest fish kill on record in Georgia. The Ogeechee Riverkeeper and FACE are asking citizens to attend the hearing in person if possible. Citizens may also submit comments in writing via email, fax, or hard copy.

Ogeechee to get third party testing
April 16, 2012

Due to the insistence of state legislators, King America Finishing, which caused the state's largest fish kill on record, will have to pay for third party water testing.

Ogeechee Riverkeeper Dianna Wedincamp says that is good, but considering those costs as part of the $1M King Finishing has agreed to spend for a concent order isn't. River advocates and citizens have urged thrid party testing in addition to the settlement amount.

Don Stack, who represents the Ogeechee Riverkeeper told the Savannah Morning News, "Monitoring should’t qualify as “supplemental. They need to do something to enhance the river, not just confirm they’re not harming it further.”

Altamaha still polluted by Rayonier
April 9, 2012

Altamaha Riverkeeper Executive Director and long time advocate Deborah Sheppard says that Rayonier continues to pollute the river with a dark discharge. The organization she leads will take issue with the company's permit renewal request later this year.

Of particular concern is a consent agreement the company and EPD entered into 14 months ago, which Sheppard believes allows the river to be polluted. Read the AJC article here.

Local citizens have no legal standing according to judge
March 20, 2012

An Atlanta Administrative Law Judge
told the Ogeechee Riverkeeper that the people living on the river have no legal standing to fight the agreement between the EPD and King Finishing. The agreement is the result of the state's largest fish kill in Georgia's history, resulting in 38,000 fish dying along with alligators and other wildlife.

Represented by GreenLaw and Ogeechee Riverkeeper cofounder Don Stack, the organization plans to appeal the judge's decision. Read more here.

SB 269 gives EPD and polluters a hall pass! Call today!
February 2, 2012

SB 269 came out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and Jesse Stone, who represents communities where the Ogeechee and other polluted creeks flow, is on that committee! NO FREE PASS FOR POLLUTERS!!!

Call Sen. Jack Hill at 404.656.5038, Johnny Grant at 404.656.0082, and Buddy Carter at 404.656.5109 and ask them to VOTE NO in the Senate Rules Committee on this bill as it is written. Then let Jesse Stone know that we expect him to stand up for clean water in our communities. His number is 404.463.1314.

Georgia tops lists of water stressed states in new report
November 16, 2011

The Union of Concerned Scientists were in Atlanta to release a new report focusing on the amount of water used to create electricity in our country. Plant Washington is listed on page 28 when the already stressed Upper Oconee is discussed as one of the 25 most stressed rivers in the country.

News coverage from a presentation made at Georgia Southern University is here.

Ogeechee lands on Dirty Dozen twice, Sandersville listed too
November 7, 2011

The Georgia Water Coalition has just released the Dirty Dozen, its list of polluted or threatened water resources in Georgia.

Neill Herring with the Sierra Club, is quoted in the Macon Telegraph on the current health of our rivers and state oversight, “We don’t have regulation any more,” Herring said. “We have the idea of it that serves as a shield for the polluters.”

Sally Bethea, Executive Director of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper said in the AJC, “Too often in Georgia, the fox is watching the hen house,” Bethea said. “Some of the problems on this list have been happening for decades, and the agency that is supposed to fix the problems can’t, or won’t. The failures go deeper than lack of funding.”

Taxpayers footing the bill for polluters
October 13, 2011

The Savannah Morning News is reporting that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) restocked fish in the Ogeechee yesterday. Ogeechee Riverkeeper Dianna Wedincamp noted that an advisory sign saying that swimming in the river isn't safe at this time was posted at the release point. Wedincamp said that she thinks the restocking is happening too soon.

DNR used $35K in taxpayer dollars to restock the river, despite the fact that King America Finishing has admitted to dumping fire retardant chemicals into the river without a permit for five years.

FACE Executive Director Katherine Cummings spoke with Washington County's representative in the GA House, Mack Jackson, about the use of taxpayer dollars to remedy a fish kill caused by lack of state oversight and actions by a private company.

Jackson said he was not aware of the EPD's failure to find the unpermitted dumping during inspections, or the $1M consent agreement cost when the cost could have been $91M.

Jackson said that he would contact Sen.. Buddy Carter, who lives near the area directly impacted by King Finishing's chemical dumping. Check here for updates.

GA legislators call for outside oversight on dumping in river
October 5, 2011

The Savannah Morning News reports that five legislators, Jack Hill (R-Reidsville), Ann Purcell (R-Rincon), Buddy Carter (R-Pooler), jan Tankersley (R-Rincon). and ro Stephens (R-Savannah). They also want input into the list of proposed projects that King America Finishing will propose with the $1M settlement agreed upon with the state.

Citizens say they want the river fully restored and protected. Landowner David Gay said, “We’re not looking for goods to appease the peasants,” he said. “We’re looking for a clean environment.” Read more here.

Riverkeeper Urges Public to Attend Citizen Meeting this Sunday
September 21, 2011

Earlier today the EPD and King America Finishing announced a Consent Order following a massive fish kill in May which left the Ogeechee River filled with over 30,000 dead fish and other wildlife. This consent order does not address the skin blistering and redness that swimmers in the Bulloch and Effingham County areas experienced late last week. The EMA offices in those counties urged people to avoid swimming in the river or consuming fish caught there.

Dianna Wedincamp, the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, urges anyone worried about the health of the Ogeechee and the wildlife depending on it to attend a second public meeting this Sunday at 3:00 at Dasher Landing near Blighton, GA. (Google map and directions here).

Wedincamp will address the crowd Sunday about the EPD's action on the May contamination and update the public about the ongoing problems with protecting the river.

A Letter to the Editor in today's Savannah newspaper (released prior to the consent order) includes this," If you think the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy or the Georgia EPD is going to save the Ogeechee River, you are going to find that any of the three will be just as effective as the other.

Please attend and help us save our little river before it’s too late." Read the entire letter here.

The Ogeechee Riverkeeper will have a complete response tomorrow. Stay current, and support their work here.

Nes coverage of the Consent Degree can be found on the WSAV web site and News 12.

Ogeechee River Contamination Continues over Holiday Weekend

September 6, 2011
The Ogeechee Riverkeeper and volunteers worked through the Labor Day Weekend responding to reports of dead fish and pollution discharge in the river.

Citizens continue to find the EPD's lack of answers and slow responsiveness to be unacceptable. They have planned another Citizens' Meeting on the Ogeechee River at Dashers Landing in Blitchton at 5:00pm on Sunday, September 25.

They are inviting congressman, representatives, senators, local officials and the EPD and EPA officials to address the people and answer questions.

Stay current on these ongoing problems by checking the Ogeechee Riverkeeper web site.

• EPD calculates Plant Washington amounts of mercury and arsenic for plant landfill
  
  
• GA Mercury Impaired Waters (PDF)
  
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• Study of Mercury Contamination in Ogeechee River Fish