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Carroll County (GA) Hosts Water Quality Meeting

Carroll County Commission Chairman Robert P. Barr will lead the "Upper Little Tallapoosa River Watershed Source Water Analysis Workshop," on Tuesday, October 22. Representatives from the University of Massachusetts, U.S. Forest Service, and TPL will review research findings and future strategies related to the county's effort to protect its threatened drinking water supply.

Contact:
Chris Lancette, Public Affairs Manager, (404) 873-7306, ext. 230, chris.lancette@tpl.org
Robert Barr, County Commission Chairman, (770) 830-5800

Upper Little Tallapoosa River Photo by: Chris Lancette

10/15/02 -- Carroll County Commission Chairman Robert P. Barr will lead a public meeting on Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to review new research findings and future options related to the county's effort to protect its threatened supply of quality drinking water. Barr will be joined by representatives from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), University of Massachusetts and U.S. Forest Service. The gathering, formally entitled the "Upper Little Tallapoosa River Watershed Source Water Analysis Workshop", is part of the county's overall effort to develop a source water management plan. The meeting will be held in the new Cultural Arts Center at 251 Alabama Street in Carrollton.

"We are plotting a course of action so that we can maintain adequate buffers for our streams and protect the supply and quality of our water," Barr says. "If we don't do this, we run the risk of not having enough water to provide for even our most basic of needs."

Snake Creek Photo by: Chris Lancette

The second in a series of meetings, this event will draw representatives from Carroll's county and city governments, Carroll Tomorrow, State University of West Georgia, and a broad sector of private and public agency representatives who have formed a steering committee to work with the county and TPL. A highlight of this meeting will be the presentation of a modeling and mapping report produced by the University of Massachusetts that will be supported by drinking water quality data gathered by the State University of West Georgia. Focusing on the Upper Little Tallapoosa River watershed, the project has been made possible by a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to TPL, which selected the river as one of only four in the country to serve as a demonstration project.

"What Carroll County is doing is very progressive," says Kathy Blaha, a TPL vice president and water quality specialist who will be attending the meeting. "Commissioner Barr is bringing the county together with business, environmental and other civic leaders to create a plan for ensuring that the county maintains an abundant supply of fresh drinking water. The county's work could end up being a model for the rest of the country."

The presentation by the University of Massachusetts includes input from local professionals that resulted in a computer-generated models that analyze key watershed issues. The resulting report identifies threats, concerns, and opportunities in the Tallapoosa watershed, and sets the stage for a "stewardship exchange" visit from professionals with expertise in the areas of greatest concern to the Upper Little Tallapoosa.

The stewardship exchange team, a group of professionals recruited from around the country, will bring a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to bear on local watershed issues as they participate in meetings and work sessions with community stakeholders and local leaders. The culmination of the team's visit will be a presentation of their observations and findings, and a set of recommendations for next steps leading to implementation of a watershed management plan.

After the stewardship exchange, the Trust for Public Land, the Forest Service, and other partners will continue to provide technical assistance to support local efforts to implement the land conservation and forest management protection strategies recommended by the team.

Dave Kuechenmeister, a TPL-Georgia project manager working extensively in Carroll County, sees this effort as an important step - along with TPL's "Greenprinting" efforts -- to take in response to the area's rapid growth.

"We need to apply smart-growth principals and tools like 'Greenprinting' to curtail adverse impacts on our crucial resources - especially drinking water," Kuechenmeister says. "Counties and cities can maintain and even enhance their quality of life and economic viability by identifying and protecting those resources most sensitive to development before development occurs. Fortunately, county leaders here are addressing the challenges now instead of waiting until after big problems arise."

About TPL: Founded in 1972, the Trust for Public Land specializes in conservation real estate -- applying its expertise in negotiations, public finance, and law to protect land for people to enjoy as parks, greenways, community gardens, urban playgrounds, and wilderness. Across the nation, TPL has saved more than 1.4 million acres of land. In Georgia, TPL has helped protect land throughout the state - including nearly 70 miles along the Chattahoochee River. It has also conserved land on Georgia's coast and rivers, and in urban centers.