Pictured is MS Fellow Thérèse Kelly water sampling.

Watershed Monitoring

Visit local community-based organizations like South River Watershed Alliance's or WAWA's web pages to get involved!
Call Georgia Environmental Protection Division's toll-free, 24/7 emergency response number at (800) 241-4113 to report spills and releases of oil or hazardous materials.

Project Description

Championed by CSAW Core Faculty Fellow Dr. Sarah Ledford at Georgia State University, the watershed monitoring project explores the relationship between anthropogenic activities, laws, and policies that shape or otherwise impact urban waterways. The densely populated and highly segregated, majority Black headwaters of Downtown Atlanta are home to roughly 1 million people, which are impacted by pollution, impervious surfaces, and aging or inadequate wastewater infrastructure.

Watershed Monitoring Network

The monitoring network currently provides bacteria monitoring for E.coli in these urban streams, which can aid in the detection and remediation of sewer spills and chronic sewer problems. The network functions through partnerships between South River Watershed Alliance and Sarah Ledford's Urban Hydrology Lab of GSU's Department of Geosciences, with samples collected by students and volunteers and processing in university laboratories by students. To date, routine monitoring remains focused on about 20 sites in the upper South River watershed.

Southside River Rendezvous

The Southside River Rendezvous is a citizen science event that explores Atlanta's South, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers. Welcoming people of all ages, trained experts in water quality testing for E. coli perform a demonstration on how to collect samples and how to analyze samples before sending out teams for their own field work experiences!

Permitting and Advocacy

CSAW MS Fellow Thérèse Kelly and Core Faculty Fellows Richard Milligan and Sarah Ledford are deeply committed to understanding how the permits and consent decrees local regulatory agencies grant to both private and public entities impact the waterways of Atlanta. Efforts within Permitting and Advocacy span Industrial Stormwater Permits, Combined Sewer Overflows, and more.

Initiatives

Key Collaboraters

Chattohoochee Riverkeeper continues to be a vital organization that CSAW works alongside to secure the waterways of Atlanta.

South River Watershed Alliance is an integral community-based organization that champions the well-being of the South River.