Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, SEPT. 3, 1970
Pollution Perils
Jackson Lake
Editor’s Note: (The following
U cle appeared in The Atlanta
Institution of Wednesday, Aug
26th, and was written by
Uft Nesmith. It points out fact
. iy and objectively that pollu
tion is slowly destroying Jackson
l-ike. Unless pollution is abated
j ckson Lake will become an
••aquatic cemetery.” Please read
t hit with the firm resolve that
action be taken immediately to
saV e Jackson Lake.)
BY JEFF NESMITH
Lake Jackson, the popular
boating and fishing lake South
of Atlanta is being slowly de
stroyed by pollution from the
city.
Ironically, the people who en
joy the lake most are among
those who generate the pollution
that may eventually render it use
less lor fishing and recreation.
The State Game and Fish Com
mission reports “a good percent
age” of the 100,000 fishermen
who visit Lake Jackson each year
come front the Atlanta area.
The South River, which at its
source consists primarily of treat
ed sewage from Fulton and De-
Kalb counties, is slugging Lake
Jackson every day with the ma
terials that are killing it.
In anew study of the lake,
water biologists Louis B. Car
rick and Edward T. Hall Jr. warn,
“Jackson Lake is undergoing ac
celerated eutrophication as the
result of nutrient loads from the
South River and Yellow River.”
Eutrophication is the process
by which a lake dies.
When the natural level of or
ganic materials in a lake is upset
by pollution, the biological bal
ance of the water environment is
thrown out of kilter and micro
scopic organisms that feed on the
organic substances multiply to
fantastic numbers.
Water bacteria attack the or
ganic materials (sewage in the
case of Lake Jackson) and re
lease substances that support al-
gas.
The substances, principally car
or “algae*ss° a " d P hosphoroas
When a , 0 algae gr ° W
of such a bloom, a teaspoon of
water from it might contain more
than 50,000 individual algae or
ganisms.
After building up to these im
mense numbers, the algae die
and decay. Once again, the bac
teria go to work, breaking down
the algae, again releasing the nu
trients and starting anew cycle.
Each cycle consumes large
quantities of free oxygen in the
water, and sometimes an algae
bloom ends with a fish kill be
cause the fish suffocate.
Each round of bloom and decay
robs more oxygen from the lake.
The game fish die out first,
fthen the trash fish. Finally, the
Iak e is little more than an aquatic
cemetery.
Formed by the South River,
the Yellow River and the Alcovy,
the 4,700-acre lake, “is consid
ered one of the most important
reservoirs in Georgia,” Hall and
Carrick wrote in a report of their
study.
Carrick is a water biologist
"ith the Federal Water Quality
Administration in Atlanta.
"Although it is not large, it is
an extremely productive lake and
■s located near the Atlanta met
ropolitan area, making it easily
accessible to fishing enthusiasts
°f the city,” they continued.
T.arge numbers of crappie,
catfish, bream and largemouth
bass are caught from the reser
vo'r - Moreover, many houses and
amps surround the lake. Resi
fnts engage in fishing, boating
and water contact sports.”
r However, in June a rare brown
I ” ae began to grow toward a
I' 001 * 1 in some areas of the lake.
I I ms organism had reached such
I® mense numbers that areas of
lake became milky white.
I ! hen it died and decayed. With
ir • few days, a different species
~ae appeared in a huge blue-
f ler ' n bloom that completed its
f" die-and-decay cycle, giving
r f r dors that sent residents of
hake Jackson area to their
i°h-phones with an avalanche of
i'm-plaints.
the present rate of eu
■■orhication,” Hall said, “the lake
Rju ! become useless for recre
ation or fishing in the foresee
able future.”
Without the South River sew
age, which comes from south
Fulton and DeKalb counties, and
the Yellow River sewage from
Covington and Porterdale, the
blooms never would occur.
Fulton County’s South River
Treatment Plant dumps 18 mil
lion gallons of treated sewage
into the river every day. DeKalb’s
Intrenchment Creek Plant puts
in 20 million gallons.
All told, more than 45 million
gallons of sewage goes into the
river daily. This means that at
its source, more than half of the
water in the South River is heav
ily spiked with materials that
support algae blooms in Lake
Jackson, 50 miles downstream.
Most of that water is taken
out of the Chattahoochee River
by Atlanta and DeKalb County
water systems.
Thus, the water is removed
from a river basin that would
ultimately channel it into the
Gulf of Mexico, polluted in At
lanta and emptied into Lake Jack
son, from which it will flow into
the Altamaha and, finally, the
Atlantic Ocean.
EASTERN STAR WILL
MEET SEPT, llth
Jephtha Chapter No. 252,
Order of the Eastern Star, will
hold their first meeting following
vacation on Friday night, Septem
ber llth, at 8 o’clock in the Ma
sonic Hall. All members are asked
to please attend.
PERSONAL
Dr. and Mrs. James B. Edwards
and children, Taylor Watson and
Marie, of Cincinnati, Ohio, are
spending this week with Mrs.
Robert C. Edwards.
Miss Scottie Haney of Canton
is spending this week with Miss
Elisabeth Freeman. They will be
roommates this fall at Reinhardt
College.
IKJ MLL Inc <_//IZC/V5 OF
THE CITY OF JACKSON
As your mayor I will work for and direct my energies towarts
accomplishing the following objectives. I humbly ask for yoir
prayers, support and advice.
Upon this platform I earnestly solicit your help, your support
and your vote, so that we may together accomplish these ob
jectives during the next two years.
1— I will work for and build an “Open Door Policy” in yoir
City Government and restore respect and confidence in tie
mayor’s office. This does not exist in your city administratitn
today.
2 City Taxes can be reduced by —installing modern business
practices in your city government and by keeping a close wat(h
on the expenditures and by seeing that you get a dollars worih
of work or services for each dollar of your tax money that s
spent. This is not done in your city government today.
3 I will supply the necessary leadership in acquiring and pro
viding parking spaces for business establishments in the City
of Jackson so as to encourage customers to patronize local busi
nesses rather than traveling to a shopping center at distant
place. This leadership does not exist today in your city govern
ment.
4 I will work for and establish a street development & main
tenance program for all sections of Jackson on a fair and im
partial basis. This too does not exist in our city today.
5 I will establish a more business like method of purchasing
machinery and motor vehicles by purchasing through the State
Purchasing Department, thereby saving our city a large amount
of money each year. This too is not done today.
6 I will work to establish a Merit System for city employees
and thus provide employment security for these employees. This
does not exist today in our city.
I respectfully ask you to allow me to serve you as your mayor
and I pledge to you my very best efforts so that we will have
a city that will move forward under an honest and efficient
administration.
Your vote and support will be greatly appreciated.
VOTE
Harold E. Martin
For Mayor In The City Primary Oct. 2, 1970.
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA
ft ifflii.i, $
Ted Moody Is
Evangelist At
Youth Revival
A youth-led revival will be held
at the Towaliga Baptist Church
on September 4-6 with services
each evening at 7:30 o’clock and
on Sunday morning at 11 a. m.
Ted Moody will be the guest
evangelist with song services un
der the direction of Billy Morton.
A special feature of the youth
revival will be the appearance
Saturday night of the County
Line Church choir from Newton
County. Dinner on the ground
will be a highlight of the Sunday
morning service.
Perry Ridgeway is youth pas
tor, George Weaver, organist,
Saralyn Ridgeway, pianist and
Cathy Evans, music director for
the Towaliga Baptist Church dur
ing the youth-led revival.
PERSONAL
The many friends of Mrs. Jew
el Allen of Indian Springs will
regret to learn she is a patient
at Crawford Long Hospital in At
lanta, having been admitted last
Saturday. Mrs. Allen had the mis
fortune to fall down ten steps
at the home of her granddaugh
ter in Atlanta and suffered a
broken back and serious injuries
to her left leg and arm. Friends
may write her at Mrs. Jewel Al
len, Room 4158, Crawford Long
Hospital, Atlanta, Ga.
Food Stamp
Program To
Begin Soon
Plans are now being made to
begin the Food Stamp Program
in Butts County in October 1970,
according to Mrs. Jane B. Powell,
Director, Department of Family
and Children Services.
Applications for eligibility to
participate in the Food Stamp
Program will be taken in the
Butts Cos. Department of Fam
ily and Children Services office,
and will begin Tuesday, Septem
ber Bth, through September 25th.
Office hours are 8 a. m. to 12
and 1 p. m. to 5 p. m., Monday
through Friday.
The office of the Department
of Family and Children Services
will be closed Labor Day, Sep
tember 7 th.
PERSONAL
Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Cofer of
Macon visited Mr. and Mrs. Ira
Cawthon Tuesday afternoon.
Danny Brooks underwent an
appendectomy at Griffin-Spald
ing County Hospital early Mon
day morning, his many friends
will be interested to learn.
Mrs. W. G. Hicks and son, Jos
eph, Mrs. W. C. Stinson and
daughters, Dawn, Leigh Ann, and
Katherine, attended Ihe wedding
of their cousin, Mist Sue Sikes,
in Alamo on Sunday.
Mrs. Walter Matihews spent
the weekend in Albany with her
son and family, Mi. and Mrs.
Jimmy Matthews.
Recent guests of Mrs. R. B.
Thompson and Mrs. Jewel Smith
were Mrs. D. H.’ Smith, Mrs. W.
R. Watkins, Misses Debbie and
Beckie Smith of Manchester,
Mrs. Marjorie Schaira, Nrs. Rox
ie Lou Boraher of Athnta and
Mrs. Laurette Capel of Molena.
Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Nash at
tended the Arendall fanily re
union Sunday at the latthews
Dairy Farm in Decatur.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph i'aulkner
of Warner Robins were aend the
night guests Saturday ofMr. and
Mrs. Tyrus Grant, Gail Wanda
and Iris.
Mickey Lewis
Died At
Jackson Lake
Mr. Mickey VV. Lewis of At
lanta died early Tuesday morning
at Jackson Lake.
According to John Sherrell,
Butts County Coroner and owner
of Sherrell Funeral Home, he
picked up Mr. Lewis’ body at the
lake and brought it to Sylvan
Grove Hospital in Jackson where
he was pronounced dead about
eight o’clock Tuesday morning.
Mr. Sherrell said that he was
told that Mr. Lewis was in the
process of moving to the lake.
Funeral plans were to be an
nounced by Horis A. Ward, Inc.
according to Mr. Sherrell.
Porter Cawthon
Is Director
LP Gas Ass’n.
Porter Cawthon, widely known
Jackson business man and I.P
gas dealer, was elected a director
of the Georgia LP Gas Associ
ation, Inc., at the convention in
Savannah August 13-15. Approx
imately 200 liquefied petroleum
gas dealers and suppliers attend
ed the convention.
Among the featured speakers
were William C. Hill, Chairman
of the Board of Paragas, and W.
Sam Phillips, executive director
of the Georgia Mobile Home As
sociation.
John J. O’Connor of the Met
ropolitan Gas Company, Atlanta,
was elected president.
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1303 North Expressway Telephone 227-0987
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BeSuretoVOTE?
College Bells
Are Beckoning
College is scant weeks away. Many Jack
son boys and girls will be away from home for
the first time with homesickness part and parcel
of a freshman’s life. But whether frosh or sen
ior, keep up with events at home with a sub
scription to the Progress-Argus at a special col
lege rate of
$4.00 PER SCHOOL YEAR
It’s the nicest going away gift that Mom
and Dad can give you. Have them subscribe
now so you won’t miss an issue.
THE JACKSON
PROGRESS-ARGUS
Your Hometown Paper Since 1873
