Us and Our River

Is Conservation Working?

originally published October 10, 2007

Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Commissioners got a preview at their Oct. 2 voting meeting of how the county’s drought management plan might progress between now and the end of the year. They’ll learn more at a special work session (if needed) on Oct. 25, which will give them a few weeks’ lead time on a date near Thanksgiving when - potentially, if there’s little or no rain - they may need to adopt step “F” of Athens’ drought management plan, involving water allocation. Taking that step, combined with pumping 15 million gallons per day from the Middle Oconee River under an emergency waiver from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, is expected to extend the supply of usable water in Bear Creek Reservoir until late December.

How is Athens doing on conserving water? Collectively, the town was at a typical consumption rate of around 20 million gallons per day during the first week of September, according to Jeff Knight, the ACC Public Utilities Department’s environmental engineer. A month later: “We’ve seen our average daily demand drop to about 16 million gallons per day,” Knight says, “which falls right in line with our 20 percent reduction.” A 20 percent reduction in use was part of the plan when Athens-Clarke went to a step “E” drought response in mid-September and, among other things, enacted a total outdoor watering ban.

By way of context, Knight explains that Athens’ consumption was generally in the 18–19 million gallon per day range this summer, before the school year started at UGA. In August, it hit the 20 million mark frequently. Water consumption figures can vary based on factors like the department’s use of water-tank water, which helps provide pressure for fire hoses, so the figures always show a range.

The department’s three biggest customers are UGA and the two local poultry plants, with UGA at the top of the list when school is in session. All three typically range between a million and a million-and-a-half gallons per day, and all three, along with other users, have cooperated with Athens-Clarke’s efforts to reduce demand by at least 20 percent. Top-level UGA administrators recently formed a campus task force charged with finding ways to get UGA’s reduction to 25 percent, and to “recommend potential ways UGA can increase its water supply in both the near and long-term,” according to a UGA press release. That report is expected in mid-November.

Meanwhile, Athens-Clarke’s emergency pumping program - withdrawing water from the Middle Oconee River despite its low flows - began on Oct. 1. Knight explains that the impact on the river is lessened somewhat by a strategy that splits the 15 million-gallon-per-day withdrawal between Athens-Clarke’s intake near Ben Burton Park and an intake in Jackson County that replenishes the Bear Creek Reservoir with river water. (The Athens pumping happens overnight, the other during the day.) To prevent severe impacts, the department is monitoring, in particular, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the Middle Oconee, both upstream from Athens’ intake and downstream from our Middle Oconee River wastewater treatment plant. Cool fall weather helps DO remain high enough, and in the first few days of pumping at least, Knight says, there was no “degradation” in DO levels at all.

The current strategy, though, requires constant attention and worry. “It is not the greatest situation from a working standpoint,” Knight says. “It’s testing everything we know how to do. I mean, water management is pretty difficult at this point.”

What’s the plan for January? For now, it’s mainly to hope for winter rains. Officials are taking this unprecedented drought one step at a time. “To consume our time today worrying about those events doesn’t seem productive,” ACC Deputy Manager Bob Snipes says. He adds, “These are unexpected and unusual times.” Though the scene at the Bear Creek Reservoir is frightening, Snipes points out, “I think at this point, Bear Creek has done exactly what we intended it to do: it’s helped us, and it was intended to help us, bridge across these unusual rainfall events.”

Ben Emanuel

ben@flagpole.com

Commish Report

Barnett Shoals & Milledge News

originally published October 10, 2007

ACC Commissioners threw out much of a county-funded study that had recommended extensive lane widenings along rural parts of Barnett Shoals Road at their Oct. 2 meeting. They voted to keep the report’s recommendations about intersection improvements along the corridor, but also threw out the consultant’s recommendation for a “roundabout” or traffic circle at the Old Lexington Road junction. Instead, a stoplight will be placed there.

Many residents along the fast-developing residential corridor between Athens’ Eastside and Watkinsville hadn’t liked the extensive road-widenings - from two to four lanes and even five - that the consultant said will eventually be needed for morning and afternoon traffic. ACC Transportation Director David Clark had called the consultant’s report “a very very rough stab” at planning the corridor’s future, but residents said the area’s rural character would be lost.

Residents’ views were mixed about putting a traffic circle - instead of a conventional stoplight - at the already congested Old Lexington Road intersection. Studies say roundabouts can handle more traffic more safely and with less delay than stoplights, but they are less familiar to American drivers than to Europeans. Even commissioners like Kelly Girtz, who pressed for the more innovative solution, agreed that drivers would need education in using a roundabout. But other commissioners didn’t think Barnett Shoals Road was the place for one, and, after considerable discussion, Girtz’ motion went down four votes to six.

Also that night, commissioners unanimously passed a six-month moratorium on demolition or removal of houses along Milledge Avenue (between Broad and Lumpkin streets) that appeared on the agenda at the last minute without public notice. Commissioner Kathy Hoard explained that, while Milledge is a locally protected historic district almost completely between Prince Avenue and Broad Street, that protection doesn’t extend from Broad to Lumpkin Street. The moratorium, she said, would allow herself and Commissioner George Maxwell (both of whom represent that part of Milledge) time to talk with property owners about possible historical protections. Maxwell then described a house near Five Points now “standing on wheels, ready to be moved. Had it been a local historic district, that house would still be standing, and there would not be another parking lot in Athens-Clarke County.” (The reference was to a Spanish colonial house on a lot next-door to the sorority Delta Delta Delta. Tri-Delt has bought the lot and sold off the house, which has not yet been completely moved off-site by the buyer. At press time, it was not clear that the sorority plans to build a parking lot there.)

The area’s designation as a local historic district would require property owners within it to get permission in order to substantially modify or demolish a building. Commissioner David Lynn said there’s been something of a rush of new building along Milledge. “I think it’s wise to take a time-out, and take a look at the issue without the pressure of impending demolitions,” he added.

Contractor David Daniel happened to be present, and spoke against the moratorium - after it had already been passed. Daniel said he didn’t disagree with the moratorium’s intention. But, he complained, “this is yet another example of the city taking ethically questionable actions that purposely and deliberately deny the public and - especially in this case - the Greek community as a whole the right to give input.” In February 2006, commissioners passed a last-minute, six-month moratorium on new fraternity and sorority houses, saying “immediate action” was needed to protect neighborhoods. Daniel’s plans to build a front addition on the Gamma Phi Beta house at the corner of Milledge and Henderson avenues were approved by the ACC Planning Commission but rejected by county commissioners last week.

Mayor Heidi Davison told Flagpole later that, while most agenda items follow the usual procedure of being aired at two public meetings before a vote, that’s not required. “The point of a moratorium is to go ahead and enact it just as soon as you can, to avoid situations that you would not want to occur.” She said the proposal came out of a meeting between herself and Commissioners Hoard, Maxwell and Lynn, representatives of UGA and the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation, and county staffers, about the changes occurring along Milledge. “After a two-hour conversation about it, that was the path that we decided to take,” the Mayor said.

John Huie

jphuie@athens.net

Water Wasters

How They’re Caught

originally published October 10, 2007

In the first two weeks of Athens’ total outdoor watering ban, which took effect Sept. 17, Athens-Clarke County (ACC) officials issued around 80 warnings to citizens who were either unaware of or were flouting the new countywide rule. (That, or they were “in a coma,” as Commissioner Kathy Hoard put it, during the meeting in which commissioners approved the ban.) Out of all those, though, there’s been no one with a recorded second violation, which would entail a $1,000 fine due with their next water bill. (At press time, there was a possibility that one person was going to catch the fine; officials were still examining the situation.) During the almost two months this summer when outdoor watering was limited to one day per week, officials issued around 200 warnings, with two citizens accruing a second violation and being assessed a $400 fine.

According to ACC Water Conservation Coordinator Steve Dorsch, the code-enforcement ticket and yellow flier describing a “notice of first violation” tend to catch people’s attention. “If they haven’t heard about it,” Dorsch says, “this [ticket] sticking on your door with one of these fliers, that changes your tune.” The majority of those 80 or so warnings went out in the first week or so after the ban took effect, he says, noting, “It takes a while to get the message out.” A little over two weeks in, though, the rate was down to an average of one per day. “By the time we get… you know, two weeks in, most people get the message.”

What about those few people who haven’t got the message (or are brain-dead)? An ACC press release dated Oct. 1 lays out the procedures for enforcing the outdoor watering ban and, among other things, it gives after-hours witnesses of water-wasting as much ability to report incidents as someone who sees a sprinkler on at noon on a Tuesday.

How does it work? As noted above, a first violation - directly observed by authorized ACC staff from the Public Utilities Department, Community Protection Division or Police Department - results in a written warning; a second violation results in the $1,000 fine. (repeat violators could have their water cut off.) Also, if any of those staffers see second-hand evidence of watering, car-washing or such - like water running down the gutter in the street - they’ll place the address it’s coming from on their “watch list.”

Although Community Protection Division officers (formerly the county Marshal’s office) typically patrol during business hours, the Public Utilities Department has created a round-the-clock patrol of seven employees already assigned to various second and third shifts in that department’s 24-hour maintenance staffing arrangement. That means that if citizens see watering (or evidence of it), but want to remain anonymous, they also can report it to the Public Utilities Department, putting the address on the watch list. A patrol can then check on the address in question at the time the tipster has made note of, even if it’s in the middle of the night.

Another option open to citizens - but likely to be little used - is to complete and sign an official sworn witness statement in the presence of a notary public, testifying to having witnessed a violation first-hand. If notarized, two of these statements from different people are enough to constitute a first violation (i.e., a yellow-flier warning). One such statement puts the address in question on a watch list.

Meanwhile, water conservation indoors is not yet regulated, but is strongly encouraged. While there a many ways to conveniently cut down on water use in a home or office, Dorsch says, it’s worth remembering that some of the simplest methods involve fixing leaky fixtures as soon as possible. How much water could that save in Athens? He’s unable to say. “If we had the means to fix all the leaks in all the rental units and other units in town… I don’t know what it would be,” Dorsch sighs. “I can’t even calculate it.”

Outdoor watering violations can be reported to the Public Utilities Department at 706-613-3470. More information is at www.athensclarkecounty.com.

Ben Emanuel

ben@flagpole.com

In Memoriam

Sue Roalman

originally published October 10, 2007

Suzann Roalman, known to all as Sue, died Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the age of 57. Sue was known to many Athens residents as a healer, activist and writer who passionately championed causes ranging from peace to protecting animals and the environment.

She was born in Lancaster County, PA, and had also lived in Chicago and England, but she made her home in Athens after 1980, with some time also spent in Brevard, NC. Thousands of persons in Northeast Georgia were familiar with her letters to the editor and her columns and articles in various media clearly defining her positions on civic matters.

Sue was a professional massage therapist who impressed many with her empathy and ability to practice the healing arts through her knowledge of massage, herbs, foods and medicinal plants. Her generosity in giving free, personally prepared herbal and other remedies was part of her character. She grew many of the herbs herself and loved working with plants.

“She was a true Earth Mother,” her son, Woody Hauke, says. She was in the vanguard in practicing conservation of resources and her care for the environment. “She was saving ‘gray water’ long before it was a necessity,” her son recalls.

After a long and difficult fight with cancer, she died, surrounded by her loved ones, at St. Mary’s Hospice in Athens. She had returned from Brevard the previous day, where she had hoped to live into old age in the beauty of the mountains, enjoying the bounty of the rich earth and plentiful rain.

“Many of us looked forward to reading what Sue wrote in support of her causes,” her longtime friend Al Hester says. “She didn’t pull any punches and was clear about where she stood. I think one of her outstanding qualities was her identification with those who had been short-changed by life or who were isolated or newcomers to Athens.”

“Sue was always befriending someone, inviting them into her home, giving them a cup of tea and listening to their stories,” he says. Sue was a protector of the Earth and growing things, whether they were plants or animals. She adopted many dogs and cats who somehow found their way to her home. They formed a companionable and important part of her life and welcomed her friends and visitors.

Many friends have a mental image of Sue as an expert and tireless knitter whose “trademark” was the creation of colorful and well-made knitted caps and baby bootees. Her knitted creations were some of the most beloved presents she gave her many friends.

“I think my mother loved to throw herself into a good cause. She was always giving energy to others who needed it,” her son recalls. “I think she had a calling to be a healer. She was always alert to see a need, and she tried to help with a whole lot of compassion.”

Sue is survived by her son, Woody Hauke, of Athens, and a brother, Andy Roalman of San Luis Obispo, CA. Memorial contributions may be sent to Transylvania County Hospice, 260 Hospital Drive, Brevard, NC, 28712 or to the Athens Area Humane Society, 399 Beaverdam Road Ext., Athens, GA, 30605.

Conoly Hester