by C. Edward Wilson

Apparently, someone has taken the people who have lived on the 
Ogeechee River all of their lives for granted.
That someone is the City of Guyton and now those residents who have 
made it their priority to protect that river, are up in arms as 
knowledge of a proposed water treatment plant has been revealed.
Leading the charge of the River dwellers is Wayne Carney, a self 
proclaimed rebel of sorts. He owns and operates a Harley-Davidson 
motorcyle repair shop in Blitchton.
Carney also owns a piece of property adjacent to the Ogeechee and  
he claims that the river is already polluted as algae and slime have 
begun showing up more frequently than not. His concern that Guyton 
wants to use the river as a possible dumping site has 
environmentalist and the Ogeechee River Keepers on guard. “I think 
big money is behind what is going on now,” said Carney. “I’ve been 
fishing and swimming in the river for more than 30 years and now 
things are deplorable.
“Guyton wants to put more sewage in the river and we want to save 
one of the most treasured natural resources in the nation.”
Chandra Brown, River Keeper for the Ogeechee River for the last 
seven years, expresses the same sentiments as Carney. Her 
organization operates a non-profit agency out of Statesboro. Their 
main job is to monitor all activities up and down the river and into 
the Atlantic Ocean.
She indicated that the City of Guyton obtained a permit this past 
March to begin the building of a $13.3 million water treatment system 
plant. That was fine and dandy, but a question arose about a section 
that mentioned something called “reject water.” That is water that 
doesn’t reach the standards for human use. It only reaches the 
standards for discharge purposes.
“What they (the City of Guyton) have done is request for something 
that is cost effective,” said Brown. “It is a system that is cheaper 
to operate under the Urban Re-use Standards, and there is no 
infrastructure to handle processing the sewage properly.”
Scott Southwich of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division 
came to Blitchton on Monday and only took some pictures of the 
Ogeechee River and its algae problem. “We did find a small amount of 
algae in the river,” said Southwich. “The river is monitored by a 
staff and we test the river periodically for any pollutants.
“We process a tremendous amount of data, and use modeling plants, 
along with scientific evidence before approving a project like Guyton 
is proposing.”
Brown went on to add a warning to her concerns after this reporter 
asked her about adults and children using the river as a swimming and 
play facility. “A study given by the state suggests that the Ogeechee 
is not a safe place to swim,” said Brown.
She also went on to say that when the proposal was first suggested 
by Guyton, she was all for it, because the treatment center would be 
one of the highest level of waste management in the nation.
That all fell apart in a June meeting when more than 80 people met 
to discuss the particulars about waste. “What Guyton has done is like 
that insurance company that gives you the least amount of protection 
that is allowed by law,” said Brown. “The report is still being 
looked at for regioinal impact.”
Whatever the decision, area residents have voiced their concerns and 
will not, according to Carney, “go quietly into the night without a 
fight,” for something that is deeply treasured and loved.