Macon Water Authority to Co-Sponsor Rivers Alive Workshop

When residents of Macon, Ga., turn on the faucets in their homes, they are treated with the cleanest and safest water possible. In an effort to maintain the integrity of the source of that clean water, the Macon Water Authority (MWA) is teaming up with Georgia River Network, Keep Georgia Beautiful, and Help the Hooch, to host a Rivers Alive workshop on Saturday, Aug. 13.

The Rivers Alive workshop will teach participants how to organize a clean up of their river, stream or lake in conjunction with the statewide cleanup. The workshop will take place from 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon. Lunch will be provided, compliments of the MWA.

Rivers Alive is a volunteer cleanup event that targets all waterways in the State of Georgia, including streams, rivers, lakes, beaches and wetlands. The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia's water resources. The MWA sits on the Advisory Board of the organization.

More than 70,150 miles of streams and rivers traverse the state of Georgia, including the Ocmulgee, which passes through Macon. The Ocmulgee is the source of water for Javors Lucas Lake, which supplies all of Macon and Bibb County with water through the adjacent Frank C. Amerson Water Production Plant. In addition to providing residents with drinking water, the Ocmulgee offers many recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy as well, thus heightening the importance of keeping it clean.

Unfortunately, many day-to-day activities contribute to pollution of streams. Innocuous events like parking a car or mowing a lawn can have detrimental effects to water quality. The statewide Rivers Alive cleanup works to offset the negative effects of pollution by making the state’s waterways cleaner and safer.

“At the Authority, we feel like any event that works to clean up the water that supplies this area is beneficial and something we want to be involved in,” says Mark Wyzalek, manager of laboratory and environmental compliance at the Authority. “Our customers depend on us to provide them with a clean and safe product. A clean river makes that task much easier. Plus, we have found Rivers Alive to be a very positive way to help the environment and protect the quality of life in our community.”

Rivers Alive is held annually each fall and is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Keep Georgia Beautiful Program, in cooperation with the "Help the Hooch" campaign.

Those interested in participating in the event can register by calling Dana Skelton at 706-549-4508 or email [email protected]. To learn more about Rivers Alive, visit www.riversalive.org.

Source: Macon Water Authority