Upper Etowah River Alliance

Completed Projects


Ball Ground Septic This home in Ball Ground, Georgia did not have a system for waste disposal, so all the waste from the home went into a pit on the property. The Alliance was able to help the homeowner have a septic system installed and the pit filled in. Now conditions are better for both the homeowner and the environment.

Pictured: A butterfly garden next the Funk Heritage Museum

Butterfly Garden
The Upper Etowah River Alliance has been busy begininng our new 319 grant and investigating various ways to educate folks about water pollution. One of the projects funded by the grant is a raingarden at the Funk Heritage Museum at Reinhardt College. The building had drainage problems with the water coming from the roof and the new series of raingardens addresses this issue. In addition, it adds a beautiful, educational tool to the museum's grounds. Many of the plants were donated by the Georgia Native Plant Society, and much of the landscaping planning and work was donated by Bill Ross. Many thanks to Martha Hout and Joe Kitchens of the Funk Center, for their hard work on this project.

Bennett Heavy Use Area

At Wayne Bennett's farm, the beautiful Charlois cows were standing in the mud near the barn and feed areas. This mud, mixed with manure, would find its way to local streams, adding pollution and sediment. With Alliance funding, Mr. Bennett was able to fix these "heavy use areas" by scraping the mud off, laying geotextile fabric and covering it with gravel. Now the cows and the streams are a little cleaner!

Black's Mill Elementary School, Dawsonville

When it rained in Dawsonville, the students at Black's Mill Elementary School were stuck inside for days until the puddles disappeared from their playground. As part of a larger project that solved this drainage problem, the Alliance helped fund the installation of raingarden in the middle of the walking track.

Planted with native plants, this special garden captures water running off and helps return it to the ground naturally, rather than sending it to a stormwater system or stream. In addition, the plants in the garden help filter any pollution in the water. Finally, the area give students and teachers a beautiful site to learn all about gardens, water and pollution.

Recently, two homeowners in Cherokee County had their septic tanks repaired using the Alliance’s 319 grant. Both of these systems were sources of nonpoint source pollution. One system sending waste into the stormwater system and the other was polluting a small stream in the back of the property. Failing septic systems can contribute to rising amounts of fecal coliform bacteria in the Etowah watershed. Already, several streams listed on the Georgia Impaired Stream list, are listed for fecal coliform. Now, thanks to the Alliance, two of these sources have been stopped.

Camp Site Restored

After many years of camping at the site visitors to the Chattahoochee National Forest camp site on Ward Creek had trampled the vegetation and the soil was getting into the stream after each rain storm. In conjunction with the US Forest Service and Trout Unlimited, we have revegetated the site in an effort to reduce soil erosion into the creek which is a tributary to the Etowah River.

What we did at the site:

Planted shrubs and grasses to re-vegetate the bare ground.
Installed posts to keep vehicles away from the stream.
Rehabilitated trails leading to Ward Creek.

After Restoration

During Restoration

Streambank Restoration Project
(Sharon Fausett's Farm)

The Alliance, in conjunction with Ms. Sharon Fausett, a poultry farmer in Dawson county, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, has implemented a streambank restoration project on a stream on Ms. Fausett's farm. Because the riparian buffer along the edge of the stream had been cut many years ago, there were no tree roots to help hold the soil in place during high water after each storm.

Using funds from our pollution reduction grant we have been able to restore over a thousand feet of her stream, which is a tributary to the Amicalola River. The eroded streambanks were "pulled back", rip rap was added where needed, and grass seed was planted to help stabilize the bank. In the future, trees will be planted to help establish the riparian buffer that will further stabilize the bank in the future.

Swamp Sunflower

Rhododendron

Etowah Water and Sewer Xeriscape Project

In collaboration with one of our local partners, Etowah Water & Sewer Authority, we have implemented a landscaping project at their office in Dawsonville using only plants native to ecoregions in the Upper Etowah basin. Native plants are adapted to the amount of rainfall we receive in this region and are more resistant to local plant diseases and pests. Therefore, this project demonstrates the value of using native plants in landscaping as a way to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use as well as and to reduce water consumption for outdoor landscaping. Native plants are also a wise choice because they are "in tune" with the local environment and won't "escape" into the wild to become the next kudzu.

Xeriscape Landscaping uses native plants to minimize the amount of water needed to keep the plants living. In addition, it reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides because the native plants are adapted Georgia’s rainfall patterns and soils. This gives them a natural resistance to bugs and disease.

Pickens County Community Thrift Store Opens its Doors UERA provides Xeriscape Landscaping

Shopping and conservation don’t usually go together, but at one Pickens County store, the two made a good team.

The Community Thrift Store not only boosts bargains, but also a special landscape design which helps reduce water consumption and protects the environment. The UERA helped fund the Xeriscape landscape in front of the store’s new building.

Some of the plants used in the project are: Beauty Berry, Creeping Phlox, Purple Coneflower, Indian Grass, Crape Myrtle and Yaupon Holly.

Keep Pickens Beautiful donated materials and the Natural Resources Conservation Service provided technical assistance. Thanks!