About Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2022)
PAGE 6A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JUNE 2. 2022 0'N6ILL OUTDOOR BY O'KieiLL WILLIAMS Looking for a vacation that keeps you in-state but just barely, try Crooked River State Park to get a feel for the intra-coastal waterway and nearby Cumberland Island. Cottages with porches and mountain scenery galore, plus the fishing — it doesn’t get much better than Smithall Woods. Great Georgia parks {O’Neill’s column ap pears twice monthly in the Progress, generally the first and third weeks of the month.} Permit me to target three out of the dozens of GA State Parks for your summer with your children. One is in cen tral North Georgia and the other two are on the most southern comers of the state. Before we begin, be advised personally that each park is clean, safe and inexpensive. • Number One: Smithgall Woods is an angler’s para dise. One of north Georgia’s premier trout streams, Dukes Creek, runs through this spectacular mountain prop erty and is a favorite for catch and release fishing. Fishing is offered only on certain days so you should call ahead for reservations. Not a fisherman, well the park has five miles of trails and 18 miles of roads allow hikers and bicyclists to ex plore hardwoods, streams and wildlife. Smithgall Woods is also an elegant mountain retreat with six beautifully deco rated cottages. Some cot tages have porches along the stream, while others have private hot tubs. A one-mile trail leads from the cottages t o Dukes Creek Falls. It’s worth the walk so don’t miss it. • Number Two: Crooked River State Park is located just a few miles from 1-95 on the southern tip of Georgia’s Coast, this park is the perfect spot for enjoying the intra coastal waterway and mar itime forest covering over 500 acres with 11 roomy cabins. Campsites are surrounded by palmettos and Spanish mossdraped oaks, while cot tages are set near the tidal river. Just down the road is the ferry to famous Cumber land Island National Seashore known for secluded beaches and wild horses. If you have not visited this part of Georgia, you’ll soon realize during your viewing around sunrise and sunset why this is called Georgia’s Golden Isle. Not equipped for coastal fishing, well, the park’s na ture trail winds through for est and salt marsh, and you will likely encounter gopher tortoises, fiddler crabs and greater blue herons. The park even has a nature center fea turing fish, snakes, turtles, and other animals native to coastal Georgia so don’t miss that either. • Number Three: The park at lake Seminole, a 37,500-acre reservoir with excellent boating, fishing, and birding. 14 Cottages, which are more like large cabins, sit near the water’s edge, offering excellent views and quick access to the lake. O’Neill has been here dozens of times and I’m telling you that Seminole has some of the best Largemouth Bass fishing in the South and is world famous. You’ll see gators, ospreys, and even bald eagles. All three are terrific fam ily destinations. Though be advised Georgia state parks are popular and finding camping spots can be diffi cult. O'Neill Williams, born in Atlanta, is host of O'Neill Outside, which reaches 277,000,000 subscriber households weekly on FOX Sports Southeast and others. His "O'Neill Outside" radio broadcasts are heard via WSB Radio. "O'Neill Out side" radio is the #1 outdoor based live radio talk show in the country. Find out more or contact him at ONeiUOutside.com. The park at Lake Seminole offers great bass fishing plus birding and a chance to spot a gator, photos/ Ga. DNR website IT’S GONNA „ get messy & Get 1/2 OFF Pork Plate with the purchase of a Pork Plate and 2 Drinks CK.COM TENDERS • WINGS • SALADS CATERING • DINE IN OR TAKE OUT 706-635-RIBS (7427) FAX 706-635-7429 289 Highland Crossing • East Ellijay, GA 3054C Across from Walmart Consultant: Georgia Power closure plan for coal ash ponds violates federal standards By Dave Williams Bureau Chief Capitol Beat News Service ATLANTA - Georgia Power's plan to close in place some of its coal ash ponds violates a federal ride prohibiting ash to be in contact with ground- water, an environmental con sultant said this week. Mark Quarles, a senior consultant with Chicago- based BBJ Group, testified before the Georgia Public Commission (PSC) during three days of hearings on a plan the utility submitted in January outlining the mix of energy sources it intends to rely on for power generation during the next 20 years. Georgia Power’s 2022 In tegrated Resource Plan (IRP), which is updated every three years, calls for the company to continue phasing out its fleet of coal- burning plants and step up its investment in natural gas and renewable energy. With the coal plants being retired, the utility plans to spend $9 billion to close all 29 of its ash ponds at 11 coal-burning power plants across Georgia. While ash is be excavated and removed from 19 of the ponds, the other 10 are scheduled to be closed in place. Coal ash contains con taminants including mercury, cadmium and arsenic that can pollute groundwater and drinking water as well as air. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an nounced in January it intends to enforce a 2015 ride pro hibiting utilities from dump ing ash generated by coal-burning power plants into unlined ponds. Any pond closures that allow coal ash to be in con tact with groundwater vio late the federal ride, Quarles testified Thursday. Groundwater contamina tion is common and wide spread at [Georgia Power] disposal areas," he said. "The company commonly built large unlined impoundments in streams." Specifically, Quarles cited a 343-acre pond at Plant Wansley in Heard County, which he said con tains more than 16 million cubic yards of waste. An other 550-acre pond at Plant Scherer in Monroe County contains more than 15 mil lion cubic yards of waste, he said. Improper closures by the company create significant risk to ratepayers and create unnecessary costs for the company," he said. Quarles said Georgia Power to its credit decided recently to excavate and remove ash from one of the ponds at Plant Wansley. He said that should serve as a model for other ash ponds. Brandon Marzo, a lawyer representing Georgia Power at this week's hearings, said the PSC approved the util ity's plan for closing ash ponds as part of its 2019 IRP. Under both federal and state rides, closing ponds in place is considered equally protec tive as excavating and re moving the ash, he said. Marzo also cited a docu ment prepared by the state Environmental Protection Division (EPD) asserting that closing ponds in place in unstable areas is permissible "if recognized and generally accepted engineering prac tices have been incorpo rated." The Georgia Power lawyer noted the EPD al ready has approved such a closure plan for an ash pond at Plant Bowen near Cartersville, where a founda tion improvement plan was developed to prevent leak age. But Quarles said the clo sure plan for Plant Bowen, site of the largest Georgia Power's largest ash pond, is unique among the utility's ponds. Marzo also argued the de scription Quarles gave of the ash ponds at plants Wansley and Scherer does not repre sent the most recent informa tion about those sites furnished by the EPD. "It's not what the ponds would look like after closure in place is completed," he said. The PSC will vote on Georgia Power's 2022 IRP this summer. This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation. All Computer Services & Repairs On-Site Service Home or Office! / Viruses, Pop ups, & Spywar </ Computer Repair & Parts / Custom Build NewmSsed Computers / Software Installation & Upgrades / Network SolutioijrjvSetup & Security 25 Years Experience 11 & Associates erving All of North Georgia 706-301-9148 24 hours a day - 7 days a week
