Georgia Water Coalition Releases 'Dirty Dozen' Report

The Georgia Water Coalition released its 2018 "Dirty Dozen" list Tuesday.  

Upon releasing its list, the coalition asked which was dirtier, the state's politics or its water.

"Georgia's dirty politics often lead to dirty water and change is needed to clean up our politics and our rivers,” Joe Cook with the Coosa River Basin Initiative said.

The list highlights a chemical spill in Flat Creek in North Georgia, which Cook said is due to a lack of environmental funding. Speaking on a conference call, Cook said Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division is understaffed and simply can’t keep up with necessary tasks.

The dirty dozen list says it would take more than two decades for employees to inspect all of the state’s industrial facilities.  

In keeping up with politics, the report also highlighted Gov. Nathan Deal not taking a strong stance against offshore drilling. Earlier this year, Deal remained the lone governor along the Atlantic coast to not directly oppose President Donald Trump’s proposal to drill for oil offshore.

Though, he did say it could seriously impact the state’s tourism industry.

Coalition representatives said the problem isn't limited to one side of the aisle, and also cited the spaceport in Camden County and nuclear Plant Vogtle as problematic.

The coalition also called for more funding to environmental departments and better use of taxpayer money.