A Special Message from Our Riverkeeper . . .

Dear UCR Supporter,

2008 has been a challenging but exciting year in the life of our river and for UCR. Our water crisis continues – and the Chattahoochee river system is stretched to the breaking point to provide enough clean water for the millions of people who depend upon it.

At the same time, people have answered the call to protect our river through increased conservation. And at UCR, we met with nearly 2,000 citizens, business people, and policymakers to lay out the causes of and practical solutions to our water crisis through our PowerPoint presentation, Tapped Out: The Drying Up of Atlanta.

We have also celebrated a major milestone in our clean water suit against the city of Atlanta: the completion by the city, on time and under budget, of the West CSO Tunnel project, which will prevent sewage overflows from entering our waterways. (See Liquid Assets story below.) UCR’s staff continues to patrol the river, monitor water quality on the Chattahoochee and at Lake Lanier, and bring paddlers out to the river for the joy of recreation and to appreciate the natural beauty of our river. Find out more about UCR’s 2008 accomplishments here.

As we look ahead to 2009, UCR pledges to keep fighting for your river, your drinking water, and our region’s future prosperity . . . which cannot exist without healthy, vibrant waterways to sustain us. But we need your help today if we are to continue all of our programs in the headwaters, in the metro region, and downstream in 2009. Please make your tax-deductible year-end donation here or by sending a check to UCR at 3 Puritan Mill, 916 Joseph Lowery Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30318.

Wishing you the natural joys of the season,

Sally Bethea
Executive Director and Riverkeeper

Liquid Assets Airs Tonight on WPBA, Channel 30

“If you can’t have a reliable water supply, everything falls apart . . . You can’t provide the essential elements that human beings need in order to live.” So says Pat Mulroy of the Las Vegas Valley Water District in the new documentary Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure, airing tonight at 9:30 pm on WPBA, Channel 30. With stories from communities across the United States, Liquid Assets explains how water and sewer systems are critical to public health, economic prosperity, and quality of life – and how these systems—some in the ground for more than 100 years—are in danger of failing.

A segment of the film focuses on Atlanta’s Clean Water Program, which was initially created in response to UCR’s lawsuit. Under the leadership of Mayor Shirley Franklin, the city has embarked on the $3.9 billion program to upgrade the city’s sewer and water systems. Despite progress in Atlanta, we still face major challenges throughout the metro region to maintain, repair and extend the pipes that provide us with clean drinking water and carry away our waste. Tune in tonight. And please let Georgia’s Congressional Delegation know that we expect them to provide the necessary funds to help communities keep their essential water and sewer systems in good condition. Our future and our quality of life depend on it.

To find out who represents you in Congress so you can contact them, see www.congress.org. View Trailer of Liquid Assets or purchase a copy here.

Shop UCR for the Holidays!

What better gift than the gift of clean water? Shop UCR’s online store here. Or give the gift of a UCR membership here.

Also, UCR members can receive a 25% discount on the purchase of FLOW: For the Love of Water. Just use the code ‘watercitizen’ at the Oscilloscope webstore at www.oscilloscope.net/store.

(Please note that we cannot guarantee delivery by Christmas Day.)

Change a Light Pledge

Saving energy is economical and it SAVES WATER! If every household in Georgia replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, each year Georgia would save more than 400 billion gallons of water. You can help – make the EnergyStar change a light pledge online today and find other ways to save as well here.