20, September 2007 April Nicole Hobbs 0208 Payne Hall Athens, GA
Mayor Heidi Davison 235 Wells Drive Athens, GA 30906
Dear Honorable Mayor Heidi Davison, I am a current First-Year Student at the University of Georgia, and I would like to notify you on the quality of the North Fork of the Oconee River. Groups of students in my Biology lab experimented with different factors of the body of water; in order to determine its quality. We, as a class, felt that it was important to examine the aspects and characteristics of the river because it is our source of drinking water. We evaluated the Oconee River through three different experiments and observations. The first was the Watershed Survey and Map Assessment. This observation was conducted in an effort to determine whether there were activities, services, materials, discharges etc. that may have an effect on the stream negatively. This observation was surveyed adjacent to the water body. Shopping Centers/commercial areas as well as car washes were found near the river. These activities showed evidence for a mistreatment of the water. Although there was no evidence of discharge in the river, it was possible that there was some unforeseen discharge due to the rivers close surroundings. The second test that was done dealt with physical and chemical sampling. This sampling involved the testing of settleable solids, pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Alkalinity, Nitrate Nitrogen, Ortho-Phosphate, and Turbidity. The results of all of these tests were relatively normal. I must also emphasize that there no were measurements of alkalinity, nitrates, or ortho-phosphates. Also, the test of turbidity resulted in a small amount of light being scattered by the materials in the water, therefore, resulting in a normal measurement. The third test was macro-invertebrate sampling. Various macro-invertebrates were classified into 3 categories, sensitive, somewhat sensitive, and tolerant. If there are a variety of organisms in the environment, the quality of the water is good or even excellent. If there happened to be more tolerant organisms in the water than anything else, this would show that sensitive organisms arent able to survive in the water which may be caused by discharges or dangerous amount of phosphates or nitrates.
Needless to say, the results of the organisms that we found represented our results of our chemical sampling. We found organisms in each of the three categories which resulted into a score that was considered fair. Unfortunately, this is still one step away from being categorized as poor. I am informing you about the results of our tests and results in order to persuade you to develop strategies to improve the water quality of the Oconee River. Although there were not chemicals found, the types of organisms found showed that the quality of the water needs to be improved. This body of water is not only the home of many organisms, but it is also utilized by humans near the river and this should be taken into consideration. I thank you in advance for your help in improving our environment.
Sincerely, April Nicole Hobbs