Another Successful Rivers Alive in the Books

Athens' 23rd annual Rivers Alive Waterway Clean-up was held on Saturday, October 23. 144 incredible volunteers turned out to clean up 13 sites in Athens, removing 3.54 tons (7,080 pounds) of trash and recycling, 970 pounds of scrap metal, 44 tires, and 2.9 tons (6,393 pounds) of leaf and limb debris/invasive species from our waterways and natural areas. In addition to those stats, 5 groups hosted their own independent clean-ups around town. Athens is now a cleaner and healthier place, thanks to these volunteers' hard work!

The Steering Committee put together some fun prize baskets as a thank you for volunteers. Ben Marcus from the Derby & Branch site and Tanner Dziedzic from the Riverbend Parkway site were the winners of our prize packages, which included a cooler bag and gift certificate from Half Moon Outfitters, as well as swag from different groups on the steering committee.

Thank you to all of the volunteers for rolling with this year's changes, and continuing to support waterway clean-up efforts in our community. We hope you all will join us again next year!

View an album of photos from the event here.

Boat filled with trash 2021 rivers alive

Calendars Coming Soon

Our 2022 Stormwater Calendars are in the works and will soon be ready to
hang in your home or office for the upcoming year! Pre-order a copy or two on our website here. In the meantime, enjoy this second preview of photos, and thank you to all of the photographers who sent in lovely images!

Molly Azami
Kate Daley-Bailey
Laureen Niehaus-Beckner
Emily Beckwith
Daniel Borremans
Lacey Butcher
Ashley Callahan
Lynette Caseman
Maria Cleveland
Marcos Cotlar
Amy Davis
Lucas Griffin
Jim Howell
Theresa Hunnicutt
Rhys Lindquist
David Lindsay
Grace Chen Lu
Rick Marr
Pete Nolan
Cathy R. Payne
Suzanna Perez
Lori Piazza
Steve Piazza
Barbara Scott
Conner Smith
Todd Stevenson
Buffy Wennersten
Rose West
Donna Wood

Photo by Daniel Borremans

Photo by Barbara Scott

Photo by Donna Wood

Photo by Amy Davis

Photo by Jim Howell

Photo by Lori Piazza

Photo by Grace Chen Lu

Photo by Molly Azami

Photo by Marcos Cotlar

Celebrate Geography on GIS Day

National GIS Day falls on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. GIS (or Geographic Information System) is an integral part of stormwater management, from creating maps of stormwater infrastructure and polluted streams, to tracking the placement of green infrastructure practices. Geography is embedded into almost everything we do.

In honor of this national celebration, we are encouraging everyone to participate in our official Geocache GeoTrail, “Water Logged.” The geocache trail, which brings participants up close and personal with several examples of stormwater management and green infrastructure, launched in 2015. Interested participants should visit our Educational Activities for Home webpage for direct links to the geocache postings. Anyone who completes the trail and logs all caches is eligible to receive a prize! All you need is a cell phone with GPS and internet access.

For more information, email stormwater@accgov.com or call 706-613-3440.

Upcoming Events

Green Thumb Lecture Series: Shade Gardening
Wednesday, November 10, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Online via Zoom

Join Athens-Clarke County Extension online for a free, educational webinar about shade gardening. Gardeners of all experience levels are welcome. Register by November 9 at www.accgov.com/gardening to be emailed the Zoom link.

2022 MLK Day of Service Call for Projects
Application Deadline: November 22, 2021

The Athens MLK Jr. Day of Service Steering Committee is seeking project sites for the 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, which will take place on Monday, January 17. Any public/private nonprofit organization, health care organization, school, religious entity, neighborhood group, or other public organization in the Athens-Clarke County area is eligible to host a volunteer project site. More information, along with a link to the application, is available at www.accgov.com/mlkday.

Stormwater Advisory Committee Meeting
Thursday, December 2, 5:00 PM
Online via WebEx

The December meeting of the Stormwater Advisory Committee will take place on Thursday, December 2 at 5:00 PM. Agenda and streaming information will be posted at www.accgov.com/agendacenter.

Ripple Effect Film Project Call for Films
Submission Deadline: January 15, 2022

The 2021/2022 Ripple Effect Film Project theme is Healthy Water, Healthy World. Clean water is essential for all people, our environment, our communities, and our homes. Create a short film that fits into one of these four categories. This contest is open to Pre-K through 12th grade filmmakers of all experience levels in Athens-Clarke County and neighboring counties. Find more details and official contest rules at www.RippleEffectFilmProject.org.

Contact Us

Stormwater Management Program
Department of Transportation and Public Works
Athens-Clarke County Unified Government
120 W. Dougherty Street
Athens, GA 30601
706-613-3440
stormwater@accgov.com
www.accgov.com/stormwater

Notice Dumping?

Call the Stormwater Hotline at 706-614-1282 if you see someone dumping into a storm drain or notice flooding due to clogged pipes.