Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 7B
CHAMBER WELCOMES NEW MEMBER
Banks County Chamber Director Tara Fulcher (L) welcomed Larry Long, Forestar Real Estate
Group, Gainesville, as a new member at Thursday's breakfast meeting. Photo by Sharon Hogan
STAR STUDENT AND TEACHER RECOGNIZED
Banks County Chamber of Commerce members recognized the STAR student and teacher from
Banks County High School at the monthly breakfast meeting on Thursday. STAR student Branson
Simmons (L) is shown with his STAR teacher Lesa Duncan at the meeting on Thursday. Both
received certificates from the chamber in recognition of their honors. Photo by Sharon Hogan
Chamber recognizes STAR student and teacher
BY SHARON HOGAN
Banks County Chamber of
Commerce members recognized
the 2008 STAR student and teacher
from Banks County High School
at the monthly breakfast meeting
on Thursday.
Branson Simmons, son of
Kenneth Simmons, Baldwin, was
honored as the STAR student.
Simmons chose Lesa Duncan,
12th grade pre-calculus teacher,
as the STAR teacher. Duncan has
received this honor four times dur
ing her teaching career.
Both of these winners were pre
sented a certificate by chamber
chairman Helen Hewell.
Hewell said this is a special
year for the Student Teacher
Achievement Recognition (STAR)
program. It is the STAR program’s
50th anniversary.
STAR was officially started in
1958 by the Georgia Chamber of
Commerce to recognize Georgia
high school students who dem-
2West to perform Relay
for Life fund-raiser March
The Christian music group, 2West,
will perform a fund-raiser concert
for the Jackson Creative Relay for
Life team from 7 to 10 p.m. March
21 at the Commerce Civic Center.
Tickets are $8 in advance and $10
at the door.
Food and snacks will be offered.
Tickets are available at Krazy
Al’s, Coffee Philter, Hyman Brown
Insurance, Anne’s Florist, Lanier
Tech and through the Jefferson
First Baptist Church youth and the
Gospel Light Baptist youth. Jackson
Creative also has tickets and may be
contacted at 706-335-5379.
onstrate exceptional academic
achievement by scoring highest in
their graduation class on the SAT.
Students choose the teachers based
on who has had the greatest influ
ence on their academic success.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Thursday’s
meeting:
• Chamber director Tara Fulcher
introduced several guests at the
meeting. Jim Hussey, Sen. Saxby
Chambliss’ office, Andrew Deal,
Johnny Isakson’s office, and Kevin
Scott from Sen. Paul Broun’s office
were all in attendance.
• Fulcher told the members
that the chamber is starting the
Business of the Month recogni
tion program up again. She urged
members to nominate a business
for this award each month.
• Fulcher announced two new
board members for the chamber.
They are Robin Trotter and Mark
Payne.
• Fulcher said the chamber is
starting something new on the
third Thursday of each month. An
open house will be held for any
new businesses.
• Fulcher also said the chamber
is planning some luncheons, train
ing sessions and lunch and learn
sessions.
• Jeff Lewallen, First Georgia
Bank, introduced Natasha Hoard
as a new loan officer with the
bank.
• Pat Petersen told the group
that Peace Place has a support
group that meets in Commerce on
Tuesday nights for both women
and children. Petersen also told the
group about the Peace Place Thrift
Store that is located in Arcade. The
money raised at the store goes to
help support the Peace Place bat
tered women’s shelter.
The next regularly scheduled
breakfast meeting of the chamber
will be held at 8 a.m. on Thursday,
April 10, in the meeting room at
First Georgia Bank, Homer.
City of Maysville
Notice of Public Hearing
Please take notice that the City Council of the
City of Maysville, Georgia will hold a public
hearing on Monday, April 7, 2008, at 6:30 p.m.
at the Maysville Public Library to receive public
comments on the application of The Broadway
Group for a proposed variance to the Zoning
Ordinance of the City of Maysville to place a
commercial building on property located on the
corner of Highway 98 & Newton Street,
Maysville, Georgia 30558 without complying
with the rear set back requirements of the
ordinance. A copy of the application is available
for public inspection at the Maysville City Hall.
A regular monthly meeting of the City Council
will be held immediately following the public
hearing at which the grant or denial of the
variance will be considered.
Got a news tip?
Call 367-2490.
Banks County Water Quality Report - 2007
Last year the Banks County Water Works
conducted over 55,500 laboratory tests for more
than 80 drinking water parameters. We are proud
to inform you that the Banks County water system
did not have any violations of water quality
parameters during 2007. Included in this report is
information about where your water comes from,
what it contains, and how it compares to standards
set by regulatory agencies. Your water department
is committed to providing our community with
clean, safe and reliable drinking water for all of us.
For more information about your water or this
report, please call Steve Reece at (706) 778-3095.
Your water comes from a 55-acre reservoir
located between Hwy. 441 and Apple Pie Ridge
Road. This source provides ample volumes of
water to our community. This reservoir is
protected from activities, which could potentially
cause contamination of this water source. The
water gravity flows to the treatment plant where
treatment chemicals are added to remove
impurities from the water, then filtered and finally
chlorinated to disinfect the water.
Your Board of Commissioners meets on the
second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the
courthouse boardroom. Your participation or
comments are welcome at these meetings.
Drinking water, including bottled water, may
reasonably be expected to contain at least small
amounts of some contaminants. The presence of
contaminants does not necessarily indicate that
water poses a health risk. More information about
contaminants and potential health effects can be
obtained by calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water
Hotline (800) 426-4791.
Some people may be more vulnerable to
contaminants in drinking water than the general
population. Immuno-compromised persons such
as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy,
persons who have undergone organ transplants,
people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system
disorders, some elderly, and infants can be
particularly at risk from infections. These people
should seek advice about drinking water from
their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines
on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection
by Cryptosporidium and other microbial
contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking
Water Hotline (800) 426-4791.
Be Water Wise! Everyone wants to help conserve
our valuable resources. Water is one of our most
valuable resources. We could not live without it!
Our distribution system continues to grow.
Over 283 miles of water lines have been installed
since our inception. Banks County Water Works is
currently researching several options to
supplement our current water sources to ensure
safe and reliable sources in the future.
Water Quality Data
The table below lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the 2007 calendar
year. The presence of these contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a
health risk. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done January 1 -
December 31, 2007. EPD requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the
concentrations of these contaminants are not expected to vary significantly from year to year. Some of the
data, though representative of the water quality, is more than one year old.
Terms & Abbreviations used below:
• Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which
there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.
• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking
water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.
• Action Level (AL): the concentration of a contaminant which, when exceeded, triggers treatment or other
requirements which a water system must follow.
• N/A: not applicable, ND - not detectable at testing limit, ppb - parts per billion or micrograms per liter,
ppm - parts per million or milligrams per liter, NTU - Nephelometric Turbity Units - measure of clarity of
water, TT - Treatment Technique - a required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in
drinking water.
Inorganic Contaminant Table
Banks Co.
Parameter MCL MCLG Water Syst.
Range of
Detection
Sample
Date
Violation
Yes/No
Typical Source
Nitrate
(ppm)
10.0
10.0 0.24
N/A
2007
No
Runoff from fertilizer
use; leaching from
septic tanks, erosion of
natural deposits
Nitrite
(ppm)
1.0
not
detected
N/A
2007
No
Runoff from fertilizer
use; leaching from
septic tanks; erosion of
natural deposits
Fluoride
(ppm)
4.0
4.0 1.4
0.84-1.11
12/8/07
No
Erosion of natural
deposits; water
additive which
promotes strong teeth
Organic Contaminant Table
Parameter
MCL
Banks Co. Range of
MCLG Water Syst. Detection
Sample
Date
Violation
Yes/No
Typical Source
TTHMs (Total
Trihalomethanes (ppb))
80
N/A 32.2
16.5-54
2007
No
By-product of drinking
water chlorination
Haloacetic Acids
(HAA5) (ppb)
60
N/A 24.1
0-41
2007
No
By-product of drinking
water disinfection
Disinfectants and Disinfection By-products Table
Parameter
MCL
MCLG Result
Range
Sample
Date
Violation
Typical Source
Chlorine (PPM)
4.0
4.0 2.6
1.4-2.6
8/2/07
No
Disinfectant drinking
water
Turbidity Table
Parameter
MCL MCLG
Result
Range
Sample
Date
Violation
Typical Source
Turbidity
TT=5 NTU 0
TT=Percentage of
samples < 0.3 NTU
0.26 NTU
100%
N/A
N/A
8/02/07
No
Soil runoff and
corrosion
About Nitrate: Nitrate in drinking water at levels above 10 ppm is a health risk for infants of less than six
months of age. High nitrate levels in drinking water can cause blue baby syndrome. Nitrate levels may rise
quickly for short periods of time because of rainfall or agricultural activity. If you are caring for an infant
you should ask for advice from your health care provider.
EPD and EPA require us to
test our water on a regular basis to ensure quality and safety. We here at the Banks County Water System
are working hard to make sure that you will have an uninterrupted supply of clean safe drinking water for
now and in the future.
The sources of drinking water (both tap water
and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams,
ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water
travels over the surface of the land or through the
ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals
and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can
pick up substances resulting from the presence of
animals or from human activity.
Contaminants that may be present in source
water before we treat it include:
*Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and
bacteria which may come from sewage treatment
plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock
operations, and wildlife.
*Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals
which can be naturally occurring or result from
urban storm runoff: Industrial or domestic
wastewater discharges, oil and gas production,
mining or farming.
*Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a
variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm
water runoff and residential uses.
*Organic chemical contaminants, including
synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are
by-products of industrial processes and petroleum
production, and can also come from gas stations,
urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.
*Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally
occurring or be the result of oil and gas production
and mining activities.
*Lead contaminants, If present, elevated levels of
lead can cause serious health problems, especially
for pregnant women and young children. Lead in
drinking water is primarily from materials
associated with service lines and home plumbing.
Banks County Water is responsible for providing.
High quality drinking water, but cannot control the
variety of materials used in plumbing components.
When your water has been sitting for several
hours, you can minimize the potential for lead
exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2
minutes before using water for drinking or
cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your
water, you may wish to have your water tested.
Information on lead in drinking water, testing
methods, and steps you can take to minimize
exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water
Hotline or at http://www.epa/govsafewater/lead.
In order to ensure that tap water is safe to
drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the
amount of certain contaminants in water provided
by public water systems. Food and Drug
Administration regulations establish limits for
contaminants in bottled water, which must provide
the same protection for public health.