Polluted creek in Rome gets help from CRBI, UGA

Submitted by the Coosa River Basin Initiative

The city of Rome’s drinking water source in the Oostanaula River just got a little cleaner thanks to the efforts of the Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) and the University of Georgia’s Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center.

After hearing concerns from the local Riverkeeper organization, operators of the center, a 905-acre farm that specializes in beef cattle research, recently installed 7,000 feet of fencing and established designated cattle crossings on Woodward Creek in an effort to reduce bacteria contamination of the creek and restore stream banks damaged by cattle.

Woodward Creek drains much of Northeast Floyd County and empties into the Oostanaula River upstream from the city’s raw water intake at Ridge Ferry Park. Floyd County also withdraws water from Woodward Creek upstream from the farm.

In 2004, the creek was included on Georgia’s list of “polluted streams” due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. Fecal coliform bacteria is linked to livestock, wildlife and leaking septic systems and indicates the possible presence of other bacteria and viruses that may be a threat to human health and wildlife.

Federal law requires that streams identified as polluted be cleaned up. In 2006, the state’s clean-up plan for Woodward Creek identified keeping livestock out of the creek as one way to reduce pollution in the creek.

“CRBI first took action on Woodward when we received complaints from local fishermen concerned about cattle having access to the creek at the center,” said CRBI program coordinator David Promis. “We began conducting visual assessments of the creek and tested the creek for bacteria contamination.”

Those tests confirmed elevated bacteria levels downstream from the University of Georgia facility. At that time Promis contacted Phil Worley, the center’s director, requesting that the center install fences to exclude the cattle.

The university responded by immediately beginning a sampling program that included water tests upstream and downstream of the farm to determine if excluding cattle from the stream was needed. Additionally, the center contacted the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to conduct a complete environmental assessment of the stream.

“Approximately 80 percent of the streams on the farm had already been fenced off and the remaining area was in a section that was prone to flooding,” said Worley. “Our initial sampling indicated the fecal coliform levels were higher upstream of the farm than they were downstream, indicating that there were additional sources of fecal coliform upstream of the farm. The area upstream of the farm is a large woodland area where fecal contamination by wildlife is the most likely source.”

Based on this data, the center was reluctant to invest in additional fencing at the farm.

CRBI then made calls to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the College of Agriculture, asking for action. After several meetings with representatives from CRBI and EPA earlier this year, the university voluntarily agreed to install the fences.

“The University of Georgia College of Agriculture recommends that farmers exclude cattle from streams to protect water quality and streambanks,” Promis said. “UGA facilities should be setting the standard for other farmers, but in this case, the university was not following all of its own recommendations. Hopefully, these additional steps will help restore Woodward Creek.”

Fencing was completed in early December at a cost of $10,000. The center is currently conducting water monitoring on the creek to determine the effectiveness of the project.

“Farmers around the state need documentation that investments like this make a difference in water quality and hopefully long-term research will provide some insight into the cost effectiveness of practices like fencing,” Worley said.

CRBI plans to continue monitoring efforts on the creek and work to identify other sources of bacteria pollution in the Woodward Creek area.

“We know there are additional sources of bacteria contamination in the Woodward Creek watershed ,” Promis said. “Hopefully, others in the area will come forward and help us identify pollution problems. A single fisherman set this effort in motion, but then we needed the cooperation of the center to correct the problem. Thankfully, they responded.”

CRBI is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance. Its mission is to inform and empower citizens so that they may become involved in the process of creating a cleaner, healthier, more economically viable Coosa River Basin.