2004
Celebrated UCR’s 10th Anniversary at a gala event with more than 500 participants honoring Ted Turner and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Worked with the city of Atlanta and the business community to secure funding sources for massive sewer systems improvements required under the federal consent decree that resolved UCR’s 1995 lawsuit.
Won a major victory in a decision from the Georgia Supreme Court regarding a state permit allowing Gwinnett County to discharge 40 million gallons of treated sewage into Lake Lanier. The decision upheld anti-degradation provisions of the federal Clean Water Act which protect high quality waters.
Debuted our new interactive Waters to the Sea CD-ROM for middle school students, which won a prestigious international film award at the Wild Screen Festival held in Bristol, England in the fall.
Working with Elachee Nature Center, brought 2,300 students aboard our floating classroom, The Chota Princess, for voyages of discovery on Lake Lanier.
Helped lead the Georgia Water Coalition in its support of the passage of legislation mandating Georgia’s first statewide water management plan, and its work to defeat legislation that would have weakened stream buffer protection regulations.
Created a new Get the Dirt Out Campaign and secured funding to initiate this statewide program in 2005, working with other riverkeepers, to reduce the impacts of soil erosion and sedimentation on Georgia’s waterways.
Working with the state EPD, helped secure a consent order with the city of East Point, setting forth a timetable for major upgrades to the city’s sewer system to stop the chronic sewage spills that have plagued neighborhoods for years.
Working with the state EPD, secured the agreement of Browning Ferris Industries (BFI) to remediate a structural problem in a closed landfill which has allowed debris and contaminants to flow downstream to Proctor Creek in southwest Atlanta for many years.
Helped secure critical funding to continue the highly successful and popular BacteriALERT Program which monitors water quality in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area for park users.
Working with Southern Environmental Law Center and three other environmental organizations, filed an amicus brief in litigation in the D.C. Circuit Court related to the tristate water wars, which emphasized the need for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
Working with anglers and river users, successfully stopped a very mis-guided management plan proposed by the National Park Service for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and proposed an alternative approach.
Completed a multi-year aquatic biodiversity assessment in the Chattahoochee headwaters which revealed the existence of two rare fishes and the existence of one of the two most imperiled fish in the Chattahoochee (Halloween darter) in new drainage area.
Secured a major grant from a local foundation for UCR’s first Integrated Outreach Program, focusing on a significant expansion of our membership with new tools to engage the people who live in the Chattahoochee watershed in its protection.
Held our 2nd annual Back to the Chattahoochee River Race and Festival and 1st annual foot-race, sponsored by Hooked on the Outdoors Magazine.
