Dowload Press Release (pdf)

News Release
August 5, 2004
Altamaha RIVERKEEPER
P.O.B. 2642 ( Darien, GA 31305
912-437-8164
Website: Altamahariverkeeper.org
Email: stewards@altamahariverkeepr.org
Contact: Altamaha Riverkeeper: Deborah Sheppard, James Holland
or
GA Center for Law in the Public Interest 404-659-3122
Justine Thompson, Kasey Sturm

More Water Pollution in Dublin

Altamaha Riverkeeper Alleges the Dublin Mill of SP Newsprint Company Is in Violation of the Clean Water Act.

(Dublin, GA) Fishermen in the Oconee River caught more than fish; shredded plastic was tangling their lines. After trying to fish several days and continuing to snare plastic the sportsmen became concerned and reported the strange catch to the Altamaha Riverkeeper. Riverkeeper, James Holland, investigated the site and on each visit he repeatedly scooped up pieces of shredded plastic that were bubbling up through the water from an underwater pipe identified as belonging to the SP Newsprint Company. He also documented a discharge of brown effluent, paper, and what appeared to be fecal matter resulting in an offensive sewage odor and film on the surface of the water.

Following this investigation, lasting from May through August, the Altamaha Riverkeeper alleges that SP Newsprint Company has and continues to violate the terms of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit as well as the Clean Water Act, the Water Quality Control Act, and accompanying regulations

On Thursday, August 5, the Altamaha Riverkeeper sent the SP Newsprint Company, SP Recycling Corporation and SP Newsprint Sales a letter providing them with sixty days notice of their intent to sue the company for what ARK considers violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The notice, informing the company it must stop polluting the Oconee River or face legal action, is being sent by the Altamaha Riverkeeper's attorneys at the Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest.

Altamaha Riverkeeper, James Holland says "I have never seen anything like this coming from a discharge pipe. There are continuous problems in this area that threaten the health of the river and the people who fish in it. The pollution has to stop."

This is the second report in the last few months of an alleged violation of the Clean Water Act in the same proximity of the Oconee River. In May, following up on citizen reports, the Altamaha Riverkeeper investigated and documented a pipe in the same area and alleged that the City of Dublin was discharging unprocessed sewage and floating solid materials into the river.

For photos of the pollution on this site see ARK's website at www.altamahariverkeeper.org under www.altamahariverkeeper.org/spnews.asp.

The Altamaha RIVERKEEPER is a non-profit environmental organization working to protect and restore the water quality, habitat, and flow of the Altamaha River- from its headwaters in North Georgia to its terminus at the Atlantic Ocean. ARK represents over 1000 members who live, work, and recreate in the Oconee, Ocmulgee, and Ohoopee River Basins and their feeder streams that make up the Altamaha River Watershed. More information is available on our website at www.altamahariverkeeper.org.

The Georgia Center for Law in the Public Interest is a non-profit organization that provides free high quality legal assistance to local, state, and national environmental organizations working to protect Georgia's natural resources from unlawful air and water pollution. Additional information may be found at www.cleangeorgia.org.