Safe Water Together Glynn County Program Installs New Community Lab
By Luke Roberson
Glynn County is known as a gateway to beaches on Jekyll and Saint Simons Island, with Brunswick as the county’s administrative center. However, the area is also recognized for four Superfund sites – areas listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as needing significant environmental cleanup and remediation.
County Commissioner Allen Booker raised an issue regarding increased subsistence fishing in Terry Creek during the pandemic—a water body directly impacted by decades of contamination by the Hercules Landfill. Despite advisories and monitoring by the EPA and Hercules, the local community continues to fish there.
The reasons behind this are multifaceted, encompassing tradition, geography, culture, and economic necessity. Historically, environmental research and messaging have often excluded those with lower incomes and people of color, even though they face the highest health risks from pollution.
In February, the IWH began a series of training sessions for our participants, with certifications to collect and log data into the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream database, the largest volunteer water quality monitoring organization in Georgia. In March, we installed a mini-lab with water monitoring gear, safety equipment, and an aquatic bacteria analysis system owned by the Safe Water Together team.
As we head into the summer sampling season, the team will grow in numbers, capacity, and capability. Two summer interns will join the group and collect information on water quality and the community’s perceptions and attitudes on how they can make policy changes with the data they collect.
Posted in Research