If you have lived in the Metro Atlanta area for a long time, you are probably aware of the various activities that have to do with the Chattahoochee River. The Chattahoochee River is a large river that comes from Georgia and goes through Alabama and Florida. The Atlanta area has a strong love for the river due to the various hiking trails around it.
The Chattahoochee River is a magnificent sight. However, due to the various hiking trails surrounding it, many of us only see the beauty of this river. Many do not know how the river suffers from various environmental issues and that the river is combating every type of pollution. Many more do not realize that the root of this serious environmental threat is our city’s constant construction and land development sites.
Construction and land development are everlasting parts of living in a city. Everything always has to be new. It is a result of how we live in the moment.
In Atlanta, there is always a different type of project to be done, and whether it is renovations or new buildings, the city is always trying to grow. Sometimes that construction is not even needed. Some roads on the highways need more support than the more recent buildings of Metro Atlanta.
Construction is not the only issue harming the river. There are also issues with run-offs.
After raining, some water is a run-off on impervious surfaces like roads or parking lots. These run-offs wash oil, tire dust, and other pollutants into the river. Rainwater mixed with excess from the roadways is the root of a lot of the pollution in the river.
The roadways also contribute to the worst type of pollution for the Chattahoochee River, thermal pollution. Thermal pollution can be caused by other roads and paved surfaces heating the rainwater that flows into the river. This causes a lot of the organisms and fish in the river to die. These pollutants are dangerous, and the Metro Atlanta community needs to do something.
There are various ways to clean up the Chattahoochee River, according to VOX ATL. The most obvious way is to not litter in or around the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries.
Littering in any place is never good. The trash you litter can go anywhere. Most litter is practically weightless, and the wind can blow the garbage into different areas in the world. This litter can cause different types of pollution that can cause harmful effects on the precious river ecosystem.
Another thing you could do is join or volunteer at a River Cleaning Group. These kinds of groups help clean up rivers around the world. Lastly, plant vegetation right beside the river if you live near a creek, stream or river, as these plants can act as a barrier to pollution.
This is an excellent thing to do because we experience different types of pollution in waterways year-round. These simple activities could help prevent more deaths to the living beings from the river. By doing our part to help clean the river, we can avoid more pollution from happening within our favorite river.
