2024 Student Photography Contest

Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority is hosting a Photography Contest for Cherokee County Students.  This year’s theme is “Water – Capturing Light and Movement“.  The contest is open to Cherokee County Middle and High School Students (Grade 6 – 12).  Homeschool students are welcomed and encouraged to participate.

To enter the contest, email your photograph to Lori Forrester by December 20, 2024.  The submission must include the Student’s Name, Grade and School.  If you have a title for the photograph, please include that with your submission.

There is a $100 prize and the student will receive a framed copy of their winning photograph.  The photograph will be displayed for one year at CCWSA locations such as the Administrative Office Lobby, the Hollis Q. Lathem Reservoir and the Water and Wastewater Facilities.  The photograph may also appear on the Consumer Confidence Report, Facebook, Event Advertisements and in Videos.  We can’t wait to see what the talented students of Cherokee can capture!

Education Updates

The Secret Lives Of Streams

We had a wonderful time partnering with the Sequoyah Regional Library for “The Secret lives Of Streams” story time in May.
Kids learned about stream bugs through books and a craft – creating a Caddisfly Case with rocks, sticks, stems, gems and sequence.
We had so much fun!

                           2nd Grade Winner – Maggie – Clayton Elementary                     3rd Grade Winner – Lillian – Sixes Elementary

Georgia Adopt-a-Stream

Congratulations to out Adopt-A-Stream group of the year – Lake Sovereign G-2875. They received this honor for the precise and consistent visual, chemical and bacterial monitoring throughout 2021. Check out their data set.

Do you have a body of water that is near and dear to your heart? Maybe a creek in your back yard or a favorite spot to find tranquility from the hustle of the 9-5. If you fall into this category and you would like to take a more active role in the protection of this waterbody, Adopt-A-Stream may be for you.

In water quality testing, there is not a silver bullet kind of test that is all encompassing of water quality. Rather, we rely on a series of test that gives us a look in to the health of a body of water over time. These are “snapshots”, if you will, of what is going on at that particular moment. Over time, we start to see trends develop and when we see an abnormality, it lets us know something is wrong.

Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) has three main types of tests that give us excellent data on the health of the stream and when combined, give us a more comprehensive view of the waterbody.

Chemical Monitoring:
This type of monitoring looks at chemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, and temperature to give us a look at the stream’s health on a monthly basis. Certain parameters fluctuate from season to season and it is important to have the data to establish trends. In order for aquatic life to survive, there are certain requirements for basic necessities to be met. Some of these necessities are the same for us. For instance, they all have to have oxygen to survive. Another extremely important parameter is pH. Most aquatic life requires between 6 – 8.5 and even minor changes can be harmful. More advanced testing is also available which includes alkalinity, nitrate, ammonia, and phosphate, if you are interested.

Bacteria Monitoring:
There are millions of varieties of bacteria that exist in nature and they all have a variety of sources and important roles to play in the natural world. The type of bacteria we look at in particular is E. Coli. This type is referred to as an indicator organism because it is a member of bacteria that are only found in the intestines of warm blooded animals. The level of this bacteria will let us know whether we will get sick or not if we or a four legged friend drinks from this body of water. This monitoring is also a monthly test.

Macroinvertebrate Monitoring:
This type of monitoring looks at the diversity and abundance of a macro-invertebrate (organism that lives in the water that can be easily viewed with the naked eye). Since these organisms are not very mobile, they are both easy to catch and provide a good health indicator of the water quality. Each organism has a different level of pollution tolerance before they perish, so a more diverse population of organisms are better than finding an abundance of one species. Monitoring for macro’s is only recommended quarterly since these organisms do not change much from month to month and we don’t want to disturb their ecosystem on a frequent basis.

Any surface water is a constantly moving and changing force of nature and as such there is no presumed safety in it’s consumption. Hopefully, should this program sound worthwhile to you, you can help protect this important natural resource for the generations that come after us.

We offer trainings on the AAS testing methods based on requests; though most of our availability will be Monday- Friday 8-5. Once you become a certified volunteer, we offer equipment loans for a 7-day check out. Please feel free to reach out and ask any questions you may have.

Educational Programs/Resources

Learn about the free environmental education programs and online resources offered to classroom teachers, homeschool groups, and community groups.

CCWSA provides a wide array of programs for Kindergarten through 12th grade. Each activity is matched up with the Georgia Science Standards for each grade. However, all activities can be adjusted to teach younger or older children. In addition, some activities such as the Enviroscape can be used to teach college students and adult groups.

The activities are separated by grade level for the ease of finding what fits best for your needs.

Interested in having us come in to do a program? Contact us. Scheduling early is recommended.

CCWSA is proud to be a Partner in Education with Creekland Middle School and Ball Ground Elementary STEM Academy.
The Partners in Education program is administered by Cherokee county Chamber of Commerce. The program is about fostering partnerships among business organizations, schools and communities in Cherokee County.

Science Basic: Hitting the Mark

Best for 4th grade and up.  The students will distinguish between accuracy and precision, investigate the relationship of accuracy and precision as it relates to water quality data collection, write clear procedures, and recognize the limitations of those procedures. Students work in small groups to create a structure and/or method to make the clay ball hit the target. Then they write the procedure out step by step. The groups then rotate and have to use the other group’s procedure to get the same results. This is a fun hands-on interactive way to teach accuracy and precision!

PDF Files to Download for more Information

Kindergarten | First Grade | Second Grade | Third Grade | Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade | Sixth Grade | Seventh Grade | Eighth Grade | High School | All Programs

Informational Articles and Videos

CCWSA provides information through articles and videos about important topics that impact your everyday life.
For more information on these topics and more check out the Clean Water Campaign.

Water/Wastewater

Articles: Where Does Our Water Come From? | Where Does Water Go? | Water Reclamation | Flushable vs. Biodegradable
Wastewater Permits – Labeled Protecting our Water | Water Theft | What is the Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority? | Growth in Water! | Protecting Communities From Lead Exposure in Drinking Water| Fluoride – A Brief History! | Biosolids – An Untapped Resource | Microorganisms of Importance | Sewage Spills

Videos: Drinking Water | Source Water Protection

Informational Posters: Did You Know – Water Bears | Stormwater vs. Wastewater | Our Wastewater Facilities |Sewer vs. Sewerage vs. Sewage | Water Theft

Stormwater Issues

Articles: Pet Waste and Stormwater | Stormwater (leaves in stormdrain), | Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB’s) | Fats, Oils and Grease  (FOG)
Who To Call when you observe a problem | What is benthic macroinvertebrate?

Videos: Fats, Oils and Grease

Informational Posters: Algal Blooms | Pet Waste | Fats, Oils and Grease | Stormwater vs. Wastewater | Did you know? Water Penny

Home

Articles: Water-Wise Landscaping | Winterizing Your Home | Household Water Audit | Neighborhood Adopt-A-Stream
Water Conservation | Hard to Recycle Plastics – Hefty Program | What is a CCR and why is it important? | Eating Native Fish – Is it safe? | Choosing Water Efficient Grass | Prescription Drug Disposal | Taking an active role in water usage | Issuing a boil water notice |
Water & Sewer Line Boundaries

Videos: Water Conservation | Your Toilet is Not a Trashcan | Proper Disposal of Pharmaceuticals

Informational Posters: Your Toilet Is NOT A Trashcan | Household Hazardous Waste | Water Footprint | Prescription Drug Take Back

Imagine a Day Without Water: October 21, 2021

No water to drink, or wash your hands with. No water to shower, flush the toilet, or do laundry. Hospitals would close without water. Firefighters couldn’t put out fires and farmers couldn’t water their crops. Disease would spread.

This year, we want to help you learn more about where your water comes from and where your water goes. We’ll take a deeper dive into the impact drinking water and wastewater providers have within your community. Many Americans take water for granted every day. But what would a day be like without water? Imagine a Day Without Water 2021 will be the seventh annual day to raise awareness and educate America about the value of water.

CCWSA is sponsoring a essay contest for 6-12th grade students in Cherokee County. Entry Deadline Extended – November 12, 2021

Student information –
Our country continues to face an enormous health crisis from the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout the pandemic water and wastewater systems keeps the water flowing in homes, hospitals and essential businesses. The crisis continues to demonstrate the critical role that water and wastewater systems play in their communities, protecting public health, safeguarding the environment and making a healthy economy possible.

• What would your day be like if you couldn’t turn on the tap and get clean drinking water?
• What would happen if you flushed the toilet and the wastewater didn’t go anywhere?
• What would happen if restaurants, hospitals, firefighters, farms or hundreds of industries that depend on water ran out of water?

The essay should answer one or more of these questions. We encourage you to get creative with your essay! Grammar and spelling will be taken into account during judging. Make sure to cite all outside information. Check out Value of Water videos for inspiration.

Essay must be a minimum of 250 words and no more than 600 words.
Entries must include Student’s Name, Grade, School and Parent Contact information.
Email Entries To Us

Drinking Water Week

Thank you to everyone that attended the Drinking Water Week events and students that participated in the coloring contest. Coloring contest winners announced.

Thank you for everyone that came out to see us at our Drinking Water Week community events in Hickory Flat, Waleska and Ballground. In total, we had the pleasure to interact with more than 60 community members. The coloring contest was a great success with close to 1000 entries!

Meet the Winners!

Kindergarden: Avery Clanton | Johnston ES

1st grade: Mauvick Carlson | Arnold Mill ES

2nd grade: Rylee Morris | Clayton ES

3rd grade and Grand Prize: Riley Turner | RM Moore ES

2nd grade Honorable Mention: Felicia Untung | Johnston ES

3rd grade Honorable Mention: Grace Hanner | Ballground – Homeschool

Science & Engineering Fair

Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority (CCWSA) recognized Cherokee County students in the 2021 NWGA Regional Science & Engineering Fair. Due to the pandemic, the judging was virtual this year. Three E.T. Booth middle school students were recognized for excellence in their projects that focused on the environmental field.

The three projects recognized for excellence were: Anna Tyner with her project “Nanotech Oil Spill Clean Up”, Adriel Ontibon with his project “Do Sound Waves Affect Plant Growth?” and Aahana Karanji with her project “Raspberry Pi Water System.”

The students accepted their awards at a small awards ceremony held at E.T. Booth MS on February 12th, 2021. They received a certificate, a goodie bag, and a gift card.

Then and Now Photography Winner

Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority (CCWSA) is pleased to announce the winner of the student photography contest, Thomas Smith from Holly Springs Elementary. The theme of the contest this year was “Then and Now”.

Students were asked to find an old photograph of Cherokee county (or close by) that contains a waterway, mill, dam, dock, or fish weir along with a current photograph of the same location. Thomas found a 1963 photograph of Fields Landing and took a current 2020 photograph. In addition, he provided history of the area and what it meant to him. “Fields Landing is part of Lake Allatoona and the Etowah River. Lake Allatoona was and is used for fishing, hydroelectric generation, and flood control. It is also one of the most visited Corps of Engineers projects in the United States. Lake Allatoona was completed in 1949 and fields landing was named after the Fields family farm. I caught my first fish at fields landing in 2017.”

He received a framed copy of his winning photograph and a check for fifty dollars. The photograph will be proudly displayed at the CCWSA main office, Rose Creek Water Reclamation Facility (WRF), Fitzgerald Creek WRF, Riverbend WRF, Etowah River Water Treatment Facility, and H. Q. Lathem Reservoir throughout 2021.