Blog | Coosa River Basin Initiative

2018 Riverkeeper Award Winners

On March 28th, CRBI hosted their Riverkeeper Awards and Annual Meeting at the Courtyard Rome Riverwalk to celebrate the accomplishments ...
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Riverkeeper Awards and Annual Meeting

CRBI would like to invite everyone to join us for our Riverkeeper Awards and Annual Meeting, March 28th from 6 ...
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2019 Triennial Review

The Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources recently conducted the opening hearing of the 2019 Triennial ...
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The Replacement Rule threatens Clean Water

For 50 years, the Clean Water Act has protected families and communities by preventing unchecked and unlimited pollution from contaminating ...
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Georgia Power announces plan to close Plant Hammond

Georgia Power announced on Thursday, January 31, 2019, their plans for the decertification of Plant Hammond, a coal-fired power plant ...
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PUBLIC SCREENING OF TO KINGDOM COME

CRBI, Georgia Highlands College, and the Berry College Environmental Studies program have teamed up to co-sponsor a special screening of ...
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CRBI Welcomes New Outreach Coordinator

Recent Berry College graduate Ashley Ray joined the Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) staff as Outreach Coordinator earlier this month ...
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Coal Ash Pond Problems at Hammond and Bowen

Coal Ash is the byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity. It also contains several toxic, harmful substances that are ...
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CRBI Receives Grant from Community Foundation for Water Testing

We are proud to be among the 2018 Grantees of the Community Foundation of Greater Rome. Their support will allow ...
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CRBI Wins Victory For Coosa River Fish, Plant Hammond Water Intake Must Be Improved

CRBI Wins Victory For Coosa River Fish; Plant Hammond Water Intake Must Be Improved The Coosa River Basin Initiative, represented ...
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CRBI Welcomes New Outreach Coordinator

January 8, 2019

Press Releases

Recent Berry College graduate Ashley Ray joined the Coosa River Basin Initiative (CRBI) staff as Outreach Coordinator earlier this month. A Chattanooga native, Ray previously served as a Crew Member for the Southeast Conservation Corp based out of Chattanooga, where she spent several months building and restoring trail systems along the Hiwassee River to prevent excess rainwater runoff. She is a 2015 graduate of Berry College, where she studied Environmental Science. She is currently seeking a Masters in Business Administration…

Coal Ash Pond Problems at Hammond and Bowen

December 13, 2018

Advocacy, Coverage, Plant Hammond

Coal Ash is the byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity. It also contains several toxic, harmful substances that are known to cause cancer, impact child development, cause kidney and liver failure, and a litany of other health problems. Traditionally, this material has been held in coal ash ponds that surround the coal-fired power plants. Unfortunately, Georgia Power’s coal ash ponds across the state are not lined and a recent report from Earthjustice, utilizing Georgia Power’s data from test wells,…

CRBI Receives Grant from Community Foundation for Water Testing

December 12, 2018

Press Releases, Water Monitoring

We are proud to be among the 2018 Grantees of the Community Foundation of Greater Rome. Their support will allow us to kick off a weekly bacterial monitoring program at popular boat launches with the help of our wonderful volunteers. Read more here.

CRBI Wins Victory For Coosa River Fish, Plant Hammond Water Intake Must Be Improved

October 18, 2018

Advocacy, Plant Hammond, Press Releases

CRBI Wins Victory For Coosa River Fish; Plant Hammond Water Intake Must Be Improved The Coosa River Basin Initiative, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, recently won a legal challenge to a Clean Water Act permit issued to one of the oldest coal-fired power plants still operating in Georgia. Based on the administrative law judge’s ruling, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division must improve permit conditions by selecting a stop-gap measure to reduce the number of fish and aquatic species…

Will Trump Environmental Rollbacks Impact the Coosa?

July 26, 2018

Advocacy

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has taken aim at a host of environmental laws aimed at protecting our rivers and the public’s health. The National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act and Obama Administration rules on the handling of toxic coal ash waste have all been targeted. At this point, most of the changes are only proposed, but the climate in Washington is creating uncertainty for Georgia’s environmental police as well as those businesses, industries and others who…

Gold Creek Foods Gets Slap on Wrist for Flat Creek Fish Kill

July 26, 2018

Advocacy, Water Monitoring

Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) in June fined Gold Creek Foods in Dawsonville $9,000 for a March spill of ferric chloride that resulted in a complete kill of aquatic life along a 3.7 mile stretch of Flat Creek. According to EPD documents, the spill killed an estimated 8,262 fish, including federally threatened Cherokee darters. In addition to the $9000 fine, EPD is requiring the company to clean up soil at the facility contaminated by ferric chloride, improve its stormwater pollution…