GHSA Flag Football: Featuring Pope High School, River Ridge and Creekview
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Trash and Bacteria Fill Rivers
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Debris and bacteria continues to make their way down stream from Atlanta.
They were flushed into the Chattahoochee and Flint River systems with last week's floods. Runoff from roads, parking lots and subdivisions along with raw sewage from a failing water treatment plant are worrying people downstream from Atlanta. Officials on West Point Lake are keeping a close eye on fecal Coliform levels and trash.
"I don't think there's a football or basketball left in Atlanta, they're all in West Point Lake," says Joe Maltese. He keeps an eye on West Point Lake for the city of La Grange.
Meanwhile Governor Sonny Perdue warns that people should not get into any water if they're unsure whether it is clean.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency says there's currently no threat to any drinking water supply. The Environmental Protection division says they tested for e. coli bacteria yesterday near the R.M. Clayton waste water treatment plant in Atlanta.
Those results are expected within a week.
Environmentalists say over time the rivers will heal from the bacteria, but debris will need to be picked up by people. River and lake cleanups are scheduled in various communities in the coming weeks.