Monthly Monitoring of Water Quality

Proposal for an Ongoing Project of Lumpkin Coalition

BACKGROUND

Lumpkin County has the headwaters of two major rivers, the Etowah and the Chestatee, that provide a resource for recreation and feed into water source reservoirs.

PROPOSAL

That Lumpkin Coalition make an effort to establish monthly water monitoring - biological and chemical - at designated points along these waterways in Lumpkin County to build a base of information that would provide an indication of health of the rivers over time. It would also provide an indication of the impact of growth and periodically could identify a pollution point that needs attention.

THE METHOD

The State of Georgia has a program called Georgia Adopt a Stream that includes free training of monitors on an annual basis. The program provides kits for chemical monitoring and instructions for how to make the simple materials required for biological monitoring.

Lumpkin Coalition would identify crucial points for testing, and determine a reasonable number that are feasible.

The Coalition would then make an effort to obtain volunteers who are willing to undergo training, conduct the monthly monitoring, and make the necessary reports.

LOCAL AS WELL AS STATE REPORTING

The Georgia Adopt A Stream program involves submission of monthly reports to the state.

Lumpkin Coalition would ask for the reports to be sent first to a central coordinator in Lumpkin County. The coordinator would make a copy and forward the original to the state.

With the input of the state and knowledgeable persons in the county, Lumpkin Coalition would develop a way to graphically display the results over time and to analyze the results.

PERIODIC INFORMATION TO COUNTY OFFICIALS AND THE PUBLIC

The information could be shared periodically with county officials via briefing or in a report. It could also be shared with the public periodically through the Dahlonega Nugget. It could be useful in assessing the impact of development and planning healthy development.

LOCAL PARTNERS

Partners could include county officials, resource persons at NGCSU, and interested individuals.