Jennette Gayer
State Director, Environment Georgia
Campaign Briefing: Proctor Creek a Poster Child for New Clean Water Rule
Media Contacts
Environment Georgia Research & Policy Center
Atlanta, GA – Atlantans gathered near the banks of Proctor Creek, a waterway with a long history of abuse and neglect, to discuss the importance of the proposed Clean Water Rule.
“Too often we pipe and pollute the rivers and streams that make healthy and happy neighborhoods,” said Marlaina Maddux, Clean Water Campaign Organizer with Environment Georgia. “That is why Proctor Creek is a poster child for this proposed Clean Water Rule—by cleaning up Proctor Creek, the neighborhood is made better. The push to protect our waterways is a push for healthy and happy neighborhoods.”
Proctor Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee, has suffered years of dumping and development. Thanks to the efforts of the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and others, the status of Proctor Creek has drastically improved, but there is still work to be done. The EPA’s prosed Clean Water Rule can play and important role in the future by clarifying and restoring protections for the small streams that feed into Proctor Creek.
“WAWA fights for clean and healthy water in African American neighborhoods in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta that are burdened with pollution, but are often left our of important decision-making conversations,” explained Darryl Haddock, Education Director of West Atlanta Watershed Alliance. “Proctor Creek is just one of the many waterways that have storied pasts with unregulated pollution. The EPA’s proposed Clean Water Rule offers an opportunity to clean up our rivers and streams.”
This morning’s Clean Water Conversation takes place one day after the close of the public comment period for the proposed Rule. Nearly a decade ago, polluters and developers secured a loophole in the Clean Water Act that leaves nearly 40,000 miles of rivers and streams in Georgia vulnerable to unchecked pollution.
The event, held by Environment Georgia, also had speakers from the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, as well as leaders of other local advocacy and student groups that are concerned with the condition of our waters.
