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CITY PA GES
WHERE DOES IT GO
AFTER IT’S FLUSHED?
Some residents are concerned that
Athens-CIarke County’s new “flush truck"—
now being used to wash downtown streets
in hopes of mitigating odor problems—is
environmentally unsound, particularly
during a prolonged drought
The city began using the truck last
month, after downtown merchants com
plained of a lingering stench. At ng the sus
pected sources of the smell are leaky
garbage bags from bars and clubs, which
sometimes sit on the sidewalks for hours
before p»ck-up. Urine and vomit left behind
by patrons are also recurrent nuisances.
The flush truck is meant to complement
the efforts of business owners, some cf
whom are washing down sidewalks with
garden hoses. The problem, says Athens
photographer Gary Crider, is that expelling
waste down storm drains doesn’t make it go
away, but discharges it into streams and
rivers.
“I’ve organized several cleanups on the
[North Oconee] river in boats," says Crider,
“and I’ve always noticed that there’s virtu
ally no trash upstream of downtown, but as
soon as you get to downtown and below,
there’s just tons of stuff. It could all be
coming just from roadways, but it seems like
those drains would be suspect.”
“My main question is, where exactly do
those pipes [from the storm drains] run, and
is there any filter or outlet of some sort
where debris can get out of the pipes before
it goes into the river?” says Crider. “I’m real
surprised that nobody has addressed that."
David Clark, director of ACC
Transportation and Public Works, says
storm drain runoff leaves downtown in four
directions and ends up in the river or
Tanyard Branch (which runs under Sanford
Stadium to the river). Clark says debris fil
ters are part of the SPLOST-funded improve
ments now in progress downtown.
In the meantime, Clark believes the street
sweeper that goes ahead of the flush truck is
“doing its job” in preventing trash frpm
being washed away.
“There’s concentrations of material
building up on the pavement: oils,
antifreezes, trash, beer residue, everything,”
says ACC Solid Waste director Jim Corley.
“We’re picking up the particulate matter: the
cigarette butts, the bottle caps, and cleaning
up anything we can with the sweeper.”
“We’re then diluting what else is there. If
you just let it all sit, when you get a major
rain storm you get a very strong slug of
material, whereas we’re at least trying to get
it cleaned up and keep it diluted."
Corley says that, in response to drought
conditions, the flush truck is being used only
in “areas that are heavily concentrated with
restaurants and bars." On its abbreviated
route, the truck sprays approximately 4,400
gallons of w'ater. For their part, business
owners are expected to abide by the odd-
even and hourly restrictions when washing
sidewalks.
Athens resident and clean water activist
Beth Fraser says she realizes rain would
eventually do the job of the flush truck, but
thinks it’s “kind of strange that the govern
ment would spend $91,000 [the cost of the
flush truck] to speed up that process."
According to Corley, the flush truck was
purchased by Athens-CIarke County to
replace another 14-year-old truck.
“I agree that downtown literally stinks,"
Fraser says, “but to me it’s not the local gov
ernment’s responsibility—or the taxpayers’
responsibility. It’s
the businesses’
responsibility. You
go [downtown] at
eight o’clock in the
morning and they’ve
got bags of recycled
glass that have beer
oozing out of them
and [the smell] liter
ally takes your
breath away."
“Obviously
there’s something
they can do about
that. You just rinse
out your bottles and
put them out there
when they recycle,
not every night.”
“I’m just amazed at the cavalier attitude,”
says Crider. “‘Well if it smells bad and looks
bad, let’s just flush it down the drain, and
that’s it.’ Why put it out on the street to
begin with? The drains are just like a toilet."
At least one member of the business com
munity doesn't see a need for the flush truck
at all.
“Where you serve food and you serve
alcohol you’re going to have odors. That’s
just part of life," says Chris Springfield,
owner of the Winery on East Clayton Street.
“I’ve never walked through this town and
been overwhelmed by any odor to the
extent that I thought it would be blocking
any business or anything like that."
Springfield is one of three downtown
restaurateurs contacted for this article who
were not aware of the flush truck.
“I don’t know a whole lot about [clean-up
efforts] other than I don’t think we have a
huge problem,” he says. “It’s never bothered
me."
GREENBACKS FOR
THE GREEN SPACE
Athens-CIarke County could be eligible
for nearly half a million dollars in state funds
under Governor Roy Barnes’ green space
preservation initiative.
The program, approved earlier this year
by the Georgia General Assembly, will divide
$30 million among select counties that per
manently dedicate at least 20 percent of
their land to green space.
Athens-CIarke now stands to receive
about $380,000. ACC Senior Planner Bruce
Lonnee says if some of the 40 chosen coun
ties elect not to participate, the $30 million
will be split among fewer recipients, allowing
each county a larger share.
“We’re likely to be one of the first coun
ties to prepare a plan simply because for the
last two and a half years we’ve kind of been
raking together the information,” Lonnee
says, referring to data gathered to devise
Athens-CIarke County’s new comprehensive
land use plan.
Specifics on how the funds must be spent
are still being drawn up by the Department
of Natural Resources (DNR). Lonnee says the
money will be used for implementation of
green space plans and may include alloca
tions for land acquisition.
The DNR is also trying to determine what
should qualify as green space. Following the
latest guidelines, the Sandy Creek Nature
Center preserve, for example, would not
count toward the requirement, nor would
undeveloped space on the University of
Georgia campus. “Obviously those are things
that drastically affect how we put together a
strategy on reaching that 20 percent,” says
Lonnee.
The DNR expects to consider the rules for
adoption sometime in July. Counties vying
for a share of the green space grant must
submit their plans by the end of this cal
endar year.
IN OTHER NEWS...
Because of stringent ballot access laws,
Georgia voters may not be able to vote for
the presidential candidate of their choice
this November. Green Party nominee Ralph
Nader is not on the ballot in Georgia, and
state Greens have until 12 neon on July 11 to
gather the signrtures of 39,113 voters or be
reduced to running a write-in campaign. To
sign or circulate a petition, call the Georgia
Green Party headquarters at (800) 447-6694.
Petitions and instructions for gathering valid
signatures are available on-line at greens
.org/georg«a/ball ot_access.htm.
Two public meetings have been sched
uled for Athenians to review plans for two
SPLOST-funded drainage projects. On
Monday, July 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the
Brooklyn Creek basin plans will be on dis
play at the Clarke Middle School cafeteria.
The Cedar Creek basin plans can be seen
on Tuesday, July 11, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the
cafeteria at Gaines Elementary School. The
county’s Brooklyn Creek plans have stirred
some controversy among affected residents,
who fear they may lose their homes to
detention pond construction. Loca' environ
mentalists also say cement detention ponds
could be supplanted by constructive wet
lands or other eco-friendly devices [City
Pages, Mar.8]. For further information con
tact SPLOST project manager Dan Cogan, Jr.,
at 613-3025.
The annual Athcns-Ciarke County sur
plus auction will be held Saturday, July 8, off
of Lexington Road behind the county jail.
Registration begins at 8 a.m.; the auction
starts at 10 a.m.. Everyone is welcome. The
nearly 700 items up for sale will be available
for public inspection on July 7 from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m. Call (800) 282-8460 for more informa
tion. (Brad Aaron)
Summer Clothing Sale
20-30% Off
Luggage Sale
20% Off
New Reef Sandal
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Athens, GA 30605
706.548.7225
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