Help Us Protect Our Local Waterways!

ACC Stormwater led our first community cleanup of 2023 on Saturday, March 11. Volunteers that joined us worked hard as they filled three trash bags and one recyclable items bag with litter. They even found a couple of tires that had been dumped to recycle at The CHaRM! Picking up trash doesn't just beautify our community--it also protects our local waterways.

Stormwater picks up chemicals, trash, and other pollutants as it travels to storm drains and these storm drains all empty out directly into our waterways without passing through a water treatment plant. This means that any pollutants that are on the ground will eventually make their way into a creek, stream, or river here in Athens. Athens-Clarke County has almost 70 miles of polluted waters, so it is really important that the only thing that goes down our storm drains is rain.

A simple way to protect our waterways is to take part in a cleanup! If you love the creeks, streams, and rivers here in Athens, then we recommend checking out the ACC Stormwater GivePulse page where you can learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities like cleanups or storm drain decaling projects. Visit https://www.givepulse.com/group/119438-Athens-Clarke-County-Stormwater for more information about our volunteer opportunities.

A picture of a small squirrel treefrog that sat on a bag full of litter that a volunteer had collected.

During our cleanup on March 11th volunteers collected litter while also encountering some wildlife. This is a small squirrel treefrog that sat on a bag full of litter that a volunteer had collected.

Voyles Road Repairs Are Complete!

This image shows the repairs that have been completed along Voyles Road.

Voyles Road repaired after a failing stormwater culvert caused a section of the road to collapse in early January.

On January 3rd and 4th Athens received an immense amount of raining causing a few stormwater culverts around the county to fail. On January 7th a section of Voyles Road collapsed because of one of these failing culverts. After a few months of hard work, Voyles Road has been completely repaired and is now open to drivers.

Upcoming Events

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Check out the Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful St. Paddy's Day fundraising event!

Keepin' It Green and Brew-tiful

Friday, March 17th from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm

Terrapin Beer Company

265 Newton Bridge Road, Athens, GA 30607

Visit https://www.accgov.com/1380/St-Paddys-Day-Event for more info

Pre-K through 12th grade students across Athens have the opportunity to create short water-themed films for consideration for the 2023 Blue Carpet Premiere. Films that are selected are shown at Morton Theatre and one film will be selected to be shown at the UN 2023 Water Conference. Join us at the 2023 Blue Carpet Premiere as we support young filmmakers in Athens-Clarke County! This event is free, but you must reserve tickets to attend.

2023 Blue Carpet Premiere

Sunday, March 26th starting at 2:00 pm

Morton Theatre

195 W. Washington Street, Athens, GA 30601

Visit https://www.accgov.com/4767/Ripple-Effect-Film-Project for more info

The March 2023 Stormwater Advisory Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 28th from 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm. This meeting will be open to the public via WebEx and will take place at the Transportation and Public Works building in the Public Works Conference Room.

Stormwater Advisory Committee March Meeting

Tuesday, March 28th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Transportation & Public Works - Public Works Conference Room

120 W. Dougherty Street, Athens, GA 30601

Visit https://www.accgov.com/SAC for more info

The Green Life Art Exhibit will soon be open to the public. K - 12 students from Athens had the opportunity to submit drawings, paintings, sculptures, and poems that fall under the theme of "Water You Going To Do?". The winning pieces will be on display at the Lyndon House for the month of April.

Green Life Art Exhibit

Saturday, April 1st through Saturday, April 29th

Lyndon House Arts Center - The North Gallery

211 Hoyt Street, Athens, GA 30601

Visit https://www.accgov.com/lyndonhouse for info about gallery hours

Notice Dumping?

Call the Stormwater Hotline at 706-614-1282 or email us at stormwater@accgov.com if you see someone dumping into a storm drain, notice flooding, or see water in a stream, creek, or river that doesn't look quite right.

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