Wednesday, December 18, 2002

Southside plan has model water quality goals

By DENNIS CHASE

Fayetteville is fast approaching a decision on the plan for the Southside development. The proposed development of this area has caught the attention of many of us that use Ga. Highway 92 or Ga. Highway 85 from the south as we travel to and from Fayetteville.

The most recent consideration has been through meetings of the Southside Task Force, a group of around 20 people representing the many sides of the issues. The Task Force has worked very hard to develop a good land plan for this area a plan which will not only advances the quality of life in Fayetteville and Fayette County, but will do so in a manner that does not create more problems than it solves.

Unfortunately, how well this Southside Master Plan accomplishes overall goals will not be known for many years. Fortunately, the master plan now features a watershed plan which is an exceptional piece of work.

As one of the environmentalists involved with the planning efforts, I can tell you that this document is truly amazing and, if adopted by the Fayetteville City Council, will go a long way toward protecting the environment.

Protection of water quantity and quality in one of our small streams has been incorporated into the plan. Fayetteville, the property owners and developers have included provisions to protect the stream in the development agreement which are well ahead of every other planning effort in Georgia.

Staff from the Atlanta Regional Commission were favorably impressed with the proposal. When implemented, the environmental considerations in this plan will serve as an example of how to really protect those resources we consider so valuable.

When The Line Creek Association of Fayette County, a group of citizens I work with, became interested in the details of the watershed plan, our first step was to sample the main drainage stream, Perry Creek, to determine the general health of that stream.

Perry Creek is, or was, very much like other small streams in Fayette County. We have hundreds of similar streams, each feeding into larger streams which provide most of our drinking water. Parts of Perry Creek resemble many other streams in the county in that they have experienced intense development right up to the stream bank.

This type of development produces a list of impacts which is long, and all negative, especially as they relate to water quality. But of equal importance is that in their undisturbed condition, these small streams continue to flow throughout the year.

That is the main part of the definition of a "perennial stream." These streams, taken one at a time, provide only a small amount of water during low flow periods of the year. However, when added together, they provide a valuable part of our drinking water source during the driest months of the year.

If we protect them, we postpone or perhaps even prevent future water restrictions. Continue development right to the edge of our streams as we have in the past, and there is no way the metropolitan Atlanta area can escape water restrictions in the future.

I collected and identified a number of aquatic organisms in the various habitats within Perry Creek. Unfortunately, there were only a few insects and one or two other critters. Based on that sampling, it is my opinion that Perry Creek is in trouble. This stream should have many different types of insects and an assortment of other critters, very much like what I have found in similar streams around Fayette County.

The primary feature of the watershed management plan is an expanded buffer along Perry Creek north of Hwy. 92. In addition, there are four phases which will be implemented, with each succeeding phase depending on the prior phase. It begins with a very important study to establish baseline watershed conditions.

The second phase will assess the impact of the proposed development, the third phase will be specification of goals for best management practices (BMPs) and the fourth phase will be for final BMPs design review and certification.

This may sound like something that would be logical and expected of any large development, but it simply doesn't happen in today's world.

When this plan, as it relates to the development plan, is in place and working, we will have some of the best protections of our environment anywhere in the state of Georgia. Based on this approach, Perry Creek will have a chance to recover and maintain the values we know can exist when adequate open space is established.

While this is good news for the environment, it may not be quite as good for some of the zoning considerations and traffic congestion. But I believe that, like the environmental issues, the city of Fayetteville is listening. They are making strong efforts to address those difficult issues. More work may be necessary to improve the Southside Master Plan even further, but this is more progress than we have seen in many other parts of Georgia and even within Fayette County.

Back to Opinion Home Page | Back to the top of the page