The Conasauga River
would receive the status of ‘Outstanding National Resource Water’ (ONRW), the
highest level of protection identified in the Clean Water Act, if a recent
petition filed by Environment Georgia and the Southern Environmental Law Center
is enacted. If successful, the group’s efforts would make the Conasauga River
Georgia’s
first ONRW. Currently, Georgia
is the only southeastern state, besides Mississippi,
with no ONRW waterways.
“The Conasauga
River deserves to be Georgia’s first
Outstanding National Resource Water,” said Jennette Gayer a Policy Advocate
with Environment Georgia. “The headwaters of the Conasauga support one of the
most biodiverse river ecosystems in the country plus it is a truly breathtaking
part of our state to visit and enjoy.”
The ONRW title provides
protections against both point and non-point sources of pollution. New point
sources of pollution, such as pipes, that are channeled into the designated
segment are prohibited. In turn, regulations
that preserve buffer zones and ensure smart growth are implemented across the
watershed to curtail non-point pollution.
“The Conasauga is truly one
of the country’s outstanding natural resources, and deserves strong protections
to help ensure it remains so,” said Brian Gist, an attorney with Atlanta office of the
Southern Environmental Law Center. “The
southeast is the fastest growing region in the country – we need to use all the
tools we have to safeguard our rich natural heritage.”
The Conasauga starts in the
Chattahoochee National Forest and runs up to the Tennessee border where it
loops briefly into Tennessee before running back into Georgia and down through
Dalton. The ONRW designation would begin at the headwaters of the river, which lie
within the Cohutta Wilderness Area, and end before the Alaculsy Valley,
a few miles before the Georgia-Tennessee state line. Cool, clean waters support
outstanding paddling and trout fishing and feed a downstream snorkeling hole
where outdoor enthusiasts can sneak a peak at more than 90 different fish
species and 25 species of freshwater mussels.
Twelve of these fish and mussel species are federally designated as endangered
or threatened species.
“ONRW designation is the
highest protection we can give to our rivers in this country,” said April
Ingle, Executive Director of the Georgia River Network. “It’s great that Georgia now has
the opportunity to afford this special protection to such a special place.”
The petition was submitted to
the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) who, after reviewing the proposal,
will open a public comment period and convene a public hearing. In September
the issue will be brought to the Board of the Department of Natural Resources
where a vote will decide whether or not protection will be granted.
