Friday, April 20, 2001
Friday, April 20, 2001 |
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Environmentalists want agencies to step in, study Line Creek water quality status
By JOHN
MUNFORD A local environmental group concerned about the water quality of Line Creek is seeking attention from agencies and elected officials at the state and federal levels. The hope is that someone will step in and determine if there are problems with Line Creek's water, said Dennis Chase, head of the Line Creek Association. That's why LCA is preparing to send out information packets explaining its position that the creek's water might be contaminated. The packet will also include about 600 pages of background material, including documentation of studies that have been conducted on Line Creek. "We're asking them (the state and federal agencies) to be ready to intervene," said Chase, who is a former employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The disappearance of freshwater mussels from areas of Line Creek is an indication that there could be problems with the water, LCA representatives have claimed. Recently, the Peachtree City Council turned down the LCA's request for an independent review of recent water quality studies on Line Creek. The request was denied based on advice from City Attorney Rick Lindsey that an independent review would "challenge" the Peachtree City Water and Seweraage Authority and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Mayor Bob Lenox also cited the findings of a recent watershed study that was conducted on Line Creek and other bodies of water in the area. The EPD signed off on the watershed study results, Lenox added. The LCA maintains that the city Water and Sewer Authority could have expanded the watershed study, but chose not to, Chase said. "Their plan for handling problems is to avoid them or ignore them," Chase said. Chase said officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are interested in viewing the LCA packet, and the agency could order an endangered species study relating to the mussels. But the heavy hitter the LCA wants to step in is the Environmental Protection Agency, which could take a strong look at the proposal to discharge more treated sewage in Line Creek. WASA has been preparing to expand its sewer treatment capacity from 4.9 to 6 million gallons per day. LCA plans to oppose that move during the permitting process, Chase said. "The EPA has the regulatory authority" to review the sewer expansion plans, Chase said. Chase has contended that the increase in sewage treatment capacity isn't needed since Peachtree City's residential areas are nearly complete. The proposed sewer expansion is one of several items that could hurt Line Creek's water quality in the future. Another is the possible creation of Lake McIntosh, a proposed reservoir for the Fayette County Water System that would be fed by Line Creek, Chase said. North of Peachtree City, Fairburn officials propose spraying partially treated sewage for disposal on fields which could also affect Line Creek, he added. In addition to seeking the help of federal agencies, Chase said he will be approaching Governor Roy Barnes in an effort to get the state EPD to look closer into the situation. Chase has often been critical of EPD, claiming the agency is very lax about enforcing water quality regulations and signing off on plans such as the sewer expansion that could impair water quality of streams like Line Creek. "People say it (Line Creek) must be all right because the state says so," Chase said, adding that's not always the case. "They (WASA and Peachtree City officials) didn't look at some of these things because the state didn't require them to." State and federal legislators from the area will also be sent the packets so they can consider intervening also, Chase said. There's also a slight possibility that the LCA's complaints about Line Creek could attract the attention of environmental groups that could help bring a lawsuit against WASA and/or the city, Chase said. LCA's resources aren't deep enough to fund litigation, he added. Chase also acknowledged that the LCA's efforts to draw attention to water quality issues will likely result in the "side effect" of bad publicity for the city. Still, he plans on sending the information packets to area newspapers also.
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