Fresh Loaf

Gallons of water the city’s R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center along the Chattahoochee River treats daily: 180 million

Height of flood water, in feet, that swamped the R.M. Clayton plant on Sept. 22, knocking it offline: 4

Approximate number of hours the plant was unable to treat wastewater and sewage: 24

Estimated cost to repair the flooded wastewater plant, in dollars : 52 million

E. coli colony count, per 100 mL, detected in the Chattahoochee near West Paces Ferry Road one week before the flood: 75

E. coli colony count, per 100 mL, in the same location one day after the flood: 14,000

Number of E. coli colonies at which the Environmental Protection Agency considers water “high risk”: 235

Percentage increase of the E. coli colony count at the R.M. Clayton plant because of the flood: 18,567

Highest recorded E. coli colony count, per 100 mL, in the Chattahoochee River on record: 28,000

Sources: AJC.com, CDC, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, U.S. Geological Survey

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Estimated damage caused by last week’s the flood, in millions of dollars: 250

Level at which the Chattahoochee River reaches “flood stage,” in feet: 14

Peak crest of the Chattahoochee near Vinings on Monday night, in feet: 28.1

Years since the Chattahoochee has reached that height: 90

Number of flooding records broken last week: 9

Number of flood-related deaths: 9

Number of feet that Lake Lanier rose in the week leading up to the flood: 3.5

Difference in the depth of Lake Lanier last week vs. the lowest point of the 2007-2008 drought, in feet: 17

Number of months between Gov. Sonny Perdue’s 2007 prayer service for rain and President Obama’s call to Perdue pledging help for the flood: 23

Sources: AJC.com, lanier.uslakes.info

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Yes, the Chattahoochee will appear a little extra brown in the near future, as city officials have been given no choice but to dump dookie and minimally treated wastewater into the river.

Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Rob Hunter this morning told reporters that serious flooding has shut down the city’s R.M. Clayton wastewater treatment plant in Northwest Atlanta and forced the department to dump raw sewage into the river.

The plant, which Hunter said is the largest in the Southeast, has sustained damages in the “tens of millions of dollars.” On an average day, it can treat 180 million gallons of poop-tinged liquid. As the AJC notes, it’s part of the city’s controversial combined sewage overflow project.

“It’s not imperiling or causing a problem for any drinking water supplies, but people need to minimize contact with the Chattahoochee River and all flood waters,” Hunter said. The city has already lined up contractors to make repairs and made first steps to qualify for federal assistance. But until the R.M. Clayton plant is back up and running, more sewage will be discharged into the river.

Sally Bethea of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper says the sewage discharge’s long-term impact on the waterway depends on when watershed officials fix R.M. Clayton — and how long the flooding continues.

(more…)

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Number of years since Buford Dam began operations on the Chattahoochee River, creating Lake Lanier: 53

Number of years since Alabama filed the lawsuit that began the “tri-state water wars”: 19

Daily volume of water Atlanta withdraws from the Chattahoochee, in million of gallons: 180

Daily volume of water Gwinnett County withdraws from Lake Lanier, in million of gallons: 150

Duration of metro Atlanta’s most recent drought, in years: 3

Time between official end of drought and state’s lifting of water restrictions, in months: 2.4

Year that Atlanta’s water demands are projected to exceed river capacity: 2030

Daily per capita indoor water consumption in metro Atlanta, in gallons: 69

Daily per capita indoor water consumption for a water-conserving home, in gallons: 50

Sources: Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, AJC.com

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Number of Georgia rivers, lakes and streams with fish that, according to the state, people should never eat: 7

Percentage of “do-not-eat” fish advisories Georgia issued in 2008 because of mercury contamination: 74

Percentage of Chattahoochee River’s analyzed area that exceeds acceptable levels of fecal coliform bacteria: 39

Number of places in Georgia the state has deemed contaminated and harmful to humans and animals: 566

Number of illegally dumped scrap tires the state recovered in 2007: 268,000

Number of days in June that air has been considered unhealthy for sensitive groups: 2

Average pounds of trash a Georgian disposes of each day: 6.4

Average pounds of trash an average American disposes each day: 3.08

Percentage of trash Georgians toss in landfills that could be recycled: 40

Sources: Georgia Environmental Protection Division, YouGottaBeKidding.org

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The Atlanta Business Chronicle has put all of its stories about local spending of federal stimulus money on a single page called the ABC Stimulus Tracker.

Among the local projects I learned about on the site: Cochran Shoals in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is getting a new “comfort station” as well as repairs on its old ones.

All Metro Atlantans who think the federal stimulus is a power grab by the fascistsocialistmuslimfundamentalistKenyanpirate Obama Regime are advised to go potty before visiting the park or to bring adult diapers, lest their bodily excretions be interpreted as stinky tacit approval of Obama’s wasteful, tyrannical policies.

And don’t forget, kids, tea is a diuretic.

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On March 4 and 5, the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival returns to Atlanta’s Tara Theater. Presented by the Georgia River Network, the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and Georgia ForestWatch, the largest environmental film festival in North America offers six or seven films each night about our planet, with at least one tied to a local issue.

Included in the event’s line-up are films about the destructive process of mining coal by blasting mountain tops, world-class kayakers making a final trek down endangered rivers around the world, and a California family’s 20-year affair with urban farming. Local films include a retelling of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s 1995 legal battle with the City of Atlanta to overhaul its antiquated sewer system and a paddler’s trek along the metro region’s most vital waterway. For a list of the movies, download this document.

Advance tickets are on sale for $10 at the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s site. Leftover tickets will be on sale at the door. Shows start at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets for both nights and you get a discounted rate for March 23’s Banff Mountain Film Festival at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Performing Arts.

(Photo courtesy of the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival)

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CRITICS AT BAY: Florida Sen. Bill Nelson tours the Apalachicola Bay to survey the effects of retaining more water in Lake Lanier, and says he’ll push for a National Academy of Sciences study of how low flows affect the river ecosystem.

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE FUNNEL: 2008 could be a record year for U.S. tornadoes, and while meteorologists aren’t sure why this year has been so tornadically prolific — including the twister that caused $40 million in damage in north metro Atlanta last week — the good news is that tornado season usually starts sputtering out in June.

BORDERS SKIRMISH: City Council President Lisa Borders writes a letter to her councilmates asking them to be nicer to the mayor.

HAWKS GM SEARCH: As is becoming typical of front-office searches in Atlanta pro sports, Cleveland’s Chris Grant withdraws himself from consideration after being offered the general manager job.

UGA EXPANDING IN GWINNETT: With the Brain Train struggling to gain traction, UGA just starts filling the gaps between Athens and Atlanta with itself.

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL: Piedmont Park may soon install wells for water independence, pending a decision by the state Environmental Protection Division.

CAUGHT LEAD-HANDED: Two studies link children’s lead exposure 25 years ago and increased impulsive and criminal behavior in adulthood.

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RAGING ELECTION: Both candidates win a state and both claim momentum, but Obama gets more delegates. Remaining primaries are: W.Va. (May 13), Ky. (May 20), Ore. (May 20), Mont. (June 3), S.D. (June 3) and P.R. (June 7).

KNIGHT OUT: Hawks GM Billy Knight steps down.

BEE MINUS: Survey released Tuesday shows that more than a third of the nation’s honeybees have been lost since last year. As Thomas reported Monday, air pollution is one likely factor; UGA entomologists studying colony collapse disorder also point to shrinking food supply, parasitic mites and the recently identified Israeli acute paralysis virus.

DEATH PENALTY: Back in action, as William Early Lynd was killed last night.

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN: First-ever Georgia Climate Change Summit, hosted by Georgia Tech Tuesday, brings together scientists and policy experts in the hope of starting an action plan to address global warming in the state. Georgia’s currently one of 12 states that not only doesn’t have such a plan, but isn’t even working on one.

‘FLAT LINE’: Apalachicola Riverkeeper hosts a two-day tour of the Chattahoochee Basin’s terminus to draw attention to what Florida officials contend is an Atlanta- and Georgia-first policy of water use and watershed management.

GIVING UP THE GHOST: Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the musical by Stephen King and John Mellencamp scheduled for an April 2009 opening at the Alliance, has been postponed.

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