Polluting a Community Resource

Atlanta's growing economy in the 1960's, combined with negligible dumping regulations, resulted in a chronic degradation of Proctor Creek and its tributaries. The Ivan Allen Digital Archive includes the 1967 regional water quality study of Proctor Creek. It quantified biological levels in the creek and described watershed conditions, delivering concrete proof of the area's decay across five reference points (these five locations are described below). Within the last decade, Atlanta has seen an increase in media attention and activism concerning the cleanup of Proctor Creek. However, before this recent interest in our urban watersheds, the creek was considered burdensome by its bureaucratic overseers. Officials, including Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., would acknowledge the letters they received concerning Proctor Creek's condition, but showed little urgency or interest in utilizing governmental resources to address the issue. Pictured below are images and descriptions of the five stations studied by the biologists in the 1967 water quality study, along with the actual document (located below the display).

"A water quality study of Proctor Creek in September, 1967, revealed grossly polluted conditions from the approximate area of Simpson Street (between Stations 1 and 2) to the Chattahoochee River."

Station One

Station One, located on Burbank Drive and above all major waste sources, presided on the uppermost section of Proctor Creek. The water was clear and the current moderately quick. Due to Proctor Creek's location in an urban area, there was still some trash in the stream, along with a light chemical foam. Additionally, there was such a large diversity of organisms that Station One was declared clean. The high dissolved oxygen levels, low biochemical oxygen levels, and fecal coliform count did not indicate sewage pollution. The creek was not overly polluted and it had no trouble sustaining life.

Station Two

Station Two was located on Highway 278 with clear, blue-green water covering runoff and sludge banks lining the stream. There was an automobile service station acting as a major source of oil runoff into Proctor Creek. The stones are the bottom were coated in lubricants and there was apparent sewage in the water. A severe lack of dissolved oxygen in the water allowed only for pollutant tolerant organisms in this section of the creek.

Station Three

Station Three was located on Johnson Road and was the most visibly polluted of all stations. The water was an opaque milky white and large amounts of trash had been thrown into the stream. When surveyed, there was a complete absence of any organisms due to insufficient oxygen in the water. This section of Proctor Creek indicated where large amounts of waste enter the stream, with storm water runoff and industrial pollution causing the most damage.

Station Four

Station Four, located on Hollywood Road, exhibited the same conditions as Station Three. An Atlanta pumping station adjacent to this station reported the water color as being slate grey, but changing constantly. All the stones were coated black, and every time one was moved a black sludge would spread several feet in each direction. Runoff from nearby industries and storm water formed sludge banks along the creek. There was no wildlife living in this section of Proctor Creek, as the heavy pollution reduced dissolved oxygen to zero.

Station Five

Station Five was located on Highway 70, and was the last area sampled before Proctor Creek merges with the Chattahoochee River. The water was described as a "polluted-looking grey green color" and there was a consierable amount of chemical foam on the surface. There was an abundance of algae growth, along with jet black sludge surrounding the rocks, indicating a build-up of runoff from surrounding facilities farther upstream. Construction for a nearby highway contributed sediment pollution and debris; there were no organisms detected, despite the debris providing adequate sustenance. There remained a extremely low oxygen level, with a high fecal coliform count, indicating large amounts of sewage polluting the creek.

"For the greater part of its length Proctor Creek flows through an economically depressed area where all manner of garbage and refuse is contributed to the stream."

A Water Quality Study of Proctor Creek - November 10, 1967

A detailed report from biologists studying Proctor Creek at five different collection sites. Click on the link above to view the document in the Ivan Allen Digital Archive.

A Graph of Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Dissolved Oxygen in Proctor Creek

Dissolved oxygen (DO) refers to the amount of oxygen available in a body of water in order to support various degrees of wildlife. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) refers to the amount of dissolved oxygen necessary for microorganisms to decompose organic matter in a body of water. The BOD is often used as a measure of pollution, as it usually falls with lower levels of organic matter. There is a strong correlation between the falling DO and rising BOD levels as biologists progressed through the creek. Nonexistent levels of DO at Station Four suggested an exponential rise in pollution and these hypoxic conditions remained steady until the Chattahoochee River.

Below is a visual representation of the DO vs. BOD sag curve for Proctor Creek's 1967 test locations. As noted, the ecosystem becomes sterile for macro-invertebrates after Johnson Road.

This is an edited image, courtesy of www.darthmouth.edu

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