Whitfield restoring creeks, wetlands

By Kelly Jackson
Chattanooga Times Dalton Bureau

DALTON, Ga. -- On property off Tilton Road in southern Whitfield County, an intermittent stream meanders through a field bordering the Conasauga River.

"You can imagine (that) literally this was just a big muddy pond; the cows would walk in and out of it to drink," said Norman Barashick, executive director of the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Management Authority.

That was before the authority's restoration efforts as part of its mitigation bank program. The drainage area that once was a cow pond is now a flowing stream. Around the stream are native plants and trees that will one day keep secret its very existence.

"The overall goal of this project is natural growth," said Dirk Verhoeff, environmental manager with the authority. "We're supposed to help it along, but in time it's going to take care of itself."

The authority owns and operates the Conasauga River Mitigation Bank, established in June 2005. Through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mitigation bank program, independent agencies can preserve and restore streams and wetlands in exchange for credits. Those credits can be sold to developers whose projects will impact streams and/or wetlands.

Mr. Verhoeff said that to qualify for the mitigation bank, a project must include at least 50 percent restoration.

Alan Miller, a section permits chief with the Corps of Engineers' Savannah District, said developers whose projects affect wetlands can mitigate the impacts on or off-site, buy credits from a land bank to offset the impacts or pay an in-lieu fee to the Georgia Land Trust to buy aquatic resources.

Mr. Miller said the mitigation bank program, which was created about 15 years ago, is "very robust" in Georgia. There are about 60 active banks across the state.

Mr. Barashick said the Corps of Engineers determines how many credits a mitigation bank has and how many credits a developer will need to offset an impact.

The officials said the total number of credits for any given bank is a proprietary secret and the value can't be assessed because it fluctuates.

County Commission Chairman Mike Babb, who is also an authority board member, said local governments benefit from having credits available. He said the city and county have purchased credits for development.

Commissioner Mike Cowan said the local mitigation bank is "win-win."

"You have to make the improvements to the environment to be qualified to receive the credit, so just the fact that you're improving the environment is a positive," he said.

FISH SPECIES FOUND IN STREAM RESTORATIONS:

• Green sunfish
• Bluegill
• Warmouth
• Red shiner
• Golden shiner
• Bullhead minnow
• Creek chub
• Eastern mosquitofish

RIVER MITIGATION BANK:

• 3 tracts of property, about 120 acres
• 200-foot riparian corridor preserved or restored along about 2 miles of the Conasauga River
• 150-foot riparian corridor preserved or restored along both sides of about 2 miles of existing and constructed waterways
• 3,700 linear feet of stream restoration
• To date the authority has sold about 20 percent of potential credits for about $1 million.
• The bank's primary service area consists of four watersheds within the Coosa River Basin. This includes portions of Bartow, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Pickens, Polk, Walker and Whitfield counties.

Sources: Dirk Verhoeff, Norman Barashick

ON THE WEB:

Learn more about the mitigation bank program at www.sas.usace.army.mil.

Paper recycling in place at every school

 Staff Photo by Tim Barber:

Michael Foxx, right, Recycling Center operations manager at the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority, punctures a plastic bottle as Matthew Ryerson, 3, and North Whitfield Middle School teacher Jill Ryerson listen for air to be released at recent open house.

By Kelly Jackson
Chattanooga Times Dalton Bureau

DALTON, Ga. -- Recyclin' Ben is becoming more popular in Whitfield County, Dalton and area private schools.

Last November, the improved mascot showed up on the side of a new recycling truck bought by Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority. This year, the authority started picking up mixed-paper recycling at every school in the county, so Ben's getting out and about more than ever.

"We were able to set it up to be a rolling billboard," said Norman Barashick, executive director of the authority.

On Thursday, the authority held an open house to introduce parents, teachers and students to its "Target Recycling" program and other educational programs available for students, including tours at the facility.

Residents who attended the open house had the opportunity to tour the authority's Materials Recovery Facility, nicknamed the "Murf." Mr. Baraschick said the 40,000-square-foot recycling operation opened in 2001.

"Our programs have continued to expand," he said.

Cassie Gallman, a fifth-grade student at New Hope Elementary School, attended the open house and said she's happy to have recycling in her school "because it helps the ecosystem."

Shayla Byrd, a third grader at New Hope, said she was impressed to see all the different materials made from recyclables at the center. She was especially impressed by the bathroom tile made out of recycled toilet seats.

Harvey Levitt, operations manager for the authority, said the agnecy already was picking up recycling at about 25 percent of schools, but county-wide school recycling is "a new program."

"We are in 30 some-odd schools and the 30 schools accommodate 20,000 students," he said.

The authority has implemented a competition and will award schools that have the most recycling per student. A top recycling school will be recognized three times throughout the year, he said, while the top three recycling schools will be recognized on an annual basis.

The authority has worked to have recycling in schools throughout the county for a number of years, he said, but only recently had the $400,000 needed to purchase the new truck and more than 200 containers for all the schools.

To pay for the truck, the authority used a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers program in which developers buy credits to offset any negative environmental impact from their developments.

Money from those credits paid for the recycling truck, Mr. Barashick said.

Household hazardous waste facility marks 10 years

Originally Published in the Dalton Daily Citizen

June 20 marked the 10th anniversary of the household hazardous waste facility operated by the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority.

The authority developed the first permanent household hazardous waste collection facility in the state. More than 250,000 pounds of household hazardous waste has been managed through the facility.

Prior to 1999, the authority held an annual collection event for household hazardous waste. The Solid Waste Citizens Advisory Task Force identified a need for a permanent facility and more frequent collections. With a $50,000 grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, the local authority opened the first publicly owned and operated permanent household hazardous waste facility in the state.

The facility is open to residents of Whitfield County the third Saturday of each month and accepts leftover household products such as pesticides, old gasoline, batteries, paints and pool chemicals, to name a few. The facility has been used as the model for many communities around the state, but still remains the only facility like it in the state.

For more information regarding the proper management of household hazardous waste, call (706) 277-2545 or (706) 278-5001. 

The authority has announced its Independence Day holiday operating schedule for landfills and convenience centers:

• Friday — All locations open normal hours (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

• Saturday — All locations closed

• Monday — All locations open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Tuesday — All locations open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Westside location normally closed)

• Wednesday — All locations open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (McGaughey Chapel location normally closed)

• Thursday — Normal operating days and hours resume

Car seat crush

Originally Published in the Dalton Daily Citizen

A worker at the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Management Authority pushes old car seats into a crusher Friday. After they were compacted into two blocks, the car seats weighted 1,481 pounds. The “car seat crush” was sponsored by Safe Kids Dalton, which promotes car seats for children and urges parents to discard used seats because they are a “one-child, one-use item.” At the last seat crush — in 2007 — Safe Kids crushed approximately 1,000 pounds of car seats.

Dalton recycle efforts soar

By Kevin Cummings
Chattanooga Times Dalton Bureau

DALTON, Ga. — Dalton's leaders say great strides have been made in curbside recycling and there is more progress to come.

Bridget Sanford, recycling coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority, said residents' curbside recycling increased by 50 percent from 2007 to 2008.

“If you recycle, talk to your neighbor who doesn't. Tell them how easy it is. Tell them how much more room there is in your garbage can,” she said. “If you're a resident who is actively recycling, keep up the good work and thank you.”

Benny Dunn, Public Works director, and City Councilwoman Denise Wood, a member of the solid waste authority, both said they are also urging residents to recycle.

According to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, at least 30 percent of all household garbage is recyclable.

Curbside recycling also saves money, Mrs. Sanford said.

Last year the city reduced expenses by more than $23,072 in avoided disposal fees and saved more than 1,490 cubic yards of landfill space.

Additionally, Dalton earned more than $26,880 in shared revenue from the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority, which processes and markets the recycled materials.

BY THE NUMBERS

598: Tons of curbside recyclables collected in 2007

896: Tons collected in 2008

1,625: Additional blue recycling bins distributed to residents in 2008

10,659: Trees saved in 2008 by mixed paper recycling

Source: Dalton-Whitfield Regional Solid Waste Management Authority

CURBSIDE RECYCLING

To receive a blue residential recycling bin in the city of Dalton call Public Works at 706-278-7077. Bins are free to city residents. Recyclable materials include mixed paper, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, plastic bottles (No. 1 & 2), glass bottles and jars, bi-metal cans and aluminum cans.