Adopt-A-Stream
Atlanta's Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) is housed in the Citizen's Participation
Office of the Department of Public Works. The goals of Adopt-A-Stream
are to (1) increase public awareness of the City's nonpoint
source pollution and water quality issues, (2) provide citizens
with the tools and training to evaluate and protect their local
waterways, (3) encourage partnerships between citizens and their
local government, and (4) to collect quality baseline water
quality data.
To accomplish these goals, Adopt-A-Stream encourages individuals
and communities to adopt sections of streams, wetlands, lakes
or rivers. Manuals, training, and technical support are provided
through Georgia EPD, for Adopt-A-Stream Regional Training Centers
and over thirty established community/watershed Adopt-A-Stream
organizers.
The Adopt-A-Stream
program offers different levels of involvement. At the most
basic level, a new group informs their local government about
their activities and creates partnerships with local schools,
businesses and government agencies. A watershed survey and four
visual surveys are conducted within a year's time. Volunteers
create a "Who To Call List" so that if something unusual
is sighted, the appropriate agencies can be notified.
Biological & Chemical Stream Monitoring
If a volunteer wishes to learn more about their adopted body
of water, they are encouraged to conduct biological or chemical
monitoring. "Biological and Chemical Stream Monitoring"
manual guides volunteers through the monitoring process. Free
workshops are also provided at regular intervals in the Atlanta
region and as needed in other areas of the State. Training workshop
schedules are available by contacting the Citizen Participation
Office @ 404-330-6980. Training will include an overview of
the program, monitoring techniques and quality assurance tests.
These activities help protect
water quality and streams because:
- Regular monitoring provides specific information about the
health of your local stream.
- Both long-term trends and immediate changes in water quality
can be documented.
- Biological monitoring will detect changes in water quality
and habitat and provides an indication of overall stream health.
- Chemical monitoring, however, provides specific information
about water quality parameters that are important to aquatic
life--such as dissolved oxygen and pH.
- Habitat enhancement projects improve streambanks or the
streambed. Habitat enhancement projects may stop a streambank
from eroding, and therefore decrease the amount of sediment
entering a stream or improve in-stream habitat for fish to
feed, hide and lay eggs.
Volunteers can monitor their waterways without attending a
workshop, but those that attend and pass a QA/QC test will then
be considered QA/QC data collectors for one year. QA/QC data
is posted on the Adopt-A-Stream database.
Resources Available through Atlanta's Adopt-A-Stream Program
- "Getting To Know Your Watershed" Manual
- "Visual Stream Survey" Manual
- "Biological and Chemical Stream Monitoring" Manual
- "Adopt-A-Wetland" Manual
- "Adopt-A-Stream Teacher's Guide"
- "Georgia Adopt-A Stream: It All Begins With You"
Video
- "Watershed Walk" Video
- "Getting Started: Watershed Survey and Map Assessment"
Workshops
- Biological Monitoring Workshops
- Chemical Monitoring Workshops
- "You Are The Solution to Water Pollution" Posters
and Brochures
- Database
- Technical and logistical support for volunteers and communities
- Volunteer recognition events
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