Headwaters
In the 1990s, changes to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) moved from the more traditional "treatment technologies" to requiring assessments of drinking water watersheds, developing protection plans, and producing consumer confidence reports (CCRs), which must state which, if any, contaminants have been detected in drinking water supplies, and describe their health effects. Source water protection has often been overlooked by municipal water systems. Nonetheless, diverse source water protection programs are critical. A three-pronged approach is necessary to address the issue: pollution prevention, effective drinking water treatment at the water treatment plant, and effective and safe management of the distribution system
Source waters are most frequently contaminated by: municipal sewage, polluted urban runoff from stormwater, pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural fields, animal waste from feedlots and farms, industrial pollution from factories, mining waste, hazardous waste sites, spills and leaks of petroleum products and industrial chemicals, “natural” contamination, such as arsenic or radon that occurs in water as a result of leaching or release of the contaminant from rock.
Project Description
A grant from the US EPA provided funding to UCR for a project entitled “Protecting the Source Water of the Soque”, completed in the fall of 2001. The project provided a detailed assessment of the sources of sediment load, evaluated the effectiveness of existing water supply watershed protection measures and detailed a strategy to prevent future siltation of the river and to educate residents of source water protection.
The Soque River flows from the Tray Mountain Wilderness where it is classified as a primary trout stream, past chicken farms and new homes and on to the city of Clarkesville, which withdraws its drinking water and then discharges treated wastewater back into the river. The 91 square-mile watershed that drains into the Soque above the Clarkesville drinking water intake is predominantly rural with an impervious surface coverage of approximately 3% (Clarkesville 1992). The upper 29 square-miles of the watershed are in federal ownership, as part of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. The remaining private land supports poultry farms, cattle and rural residential development. Existing regulations required by the state and adopted by the Habersham County designate this watershed as a "water supply watershed", triggering certain protections such as an impervious surface setback.
Project Area Problems
Because of excess sediment problems, active efforts in the Soque River watershed will be essential to preserve drinking water supply and also maintain the economically important trout fishing industry. Habersham Mills Lake, located on the Soque downstream of Clarkesville, has nearly filled with sediment carried from upstream sources. A 1997 EPA study of sediment yield delivery to the Chattahoochee River showed that the Soque delivered the highest sediment load of any tributary between the Chattahoochee's headwaters and Highway 384 above Lake Lanier (EPA 1997). Additionally, the Soque River is listed in Georgia's 305(b) Report (GA Department of Resources, 1996) as potentially impacted by agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Although the city of Clarkesville does not report current treatment problems caused by excess sediment, future growth rates in the county—projected to be at 42% between 1990 and 2010—are a cause of anticipated concern (Richard Monroe, City of Clarkesville, personal communication).
Project Objective
To evaluate current drinking water supply protection measures as a baseline from which to propose specific improvements to the local community and to provide feedback to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Department of Community Affairs regarding the effectiveness of their Part V Environmental Planning Criteria in safeguarding drinking water supplies.
Project Goals and Strategies
- Provide a detailed assessment of the sediment sources in the Upper Soque River watershed.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the current water supply watershed designation in protecting Clarkesville's drinking water supply, including consistency of enforcement and water quality sampling.
- Detail a strategy to protect Clarkesville's drinking water supply from future siltation.
- Partner with the locally-based Soque River Watershed Association to educate watershed residents concerning protection options.
UCR staff served on the Source Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) Task Force and provided technical assistance during the development of the Plans for the Upper Chattahoochee Watershed. These assessments were conducted to identify potential pollutants of concern, analyze the risk to public health, and provide data and analyses for creation of Source Water Protection Plans. Source water protection is a proactive effort to protect drinking water sources before they become contaminated.
Project Results
Sediment loading data was collected at 12 sites in the Soque watershed for a period of 11 months in 2002-2001 to identify areas with relatively high erosion potential along with potential sediment sources. To characterize the watershed, representative sampling sites were selected with varying terrain, discharge, stream order and land use. Data obtained during this study along with information collected through UCR’s evaluation of existing watershed protection regulations served as a basis for developing a comprehensive watershed protection plan for the city of Clarkesville.
As part of this project, UCR worked with the Soque River Watershed Association and the University of Georgia to create, distribute and analyze a survey querying watershed residents about drinking water protection regulations and found that the majority of the Habersham County residents were unaware that stream buffer protection and erosion and sedimentation control regulations even existed. To raise community awareness about various drinking water issues as well as protection measures, a public workshop on source water protection was conducted and educational materials were distributed throughout the watershed.
Additional Links to Drinking Water Resources:
Natural Resources Defense Council
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Please also visit these sections:
Headwaters Education Programs
Riparian Restoration & Education Project/Soque River Restoration Project
What Are Riparian Buffer Zones?
Biodiversity: Assessment of Threatened Fish Species
West Fork Little River Restoration in Hall County
