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 IN THIS ISSUE:
- City of Atlanta Adopt-A-Drain Program
- Board Member Highlight: Javier Sayago
- Confluence 2023 Recap
- Program Updates and Upcoming Workshops
- Riffles Around Us
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GA EPD Staff connected with Tanisha Lawson, DWM Environmental Program Manager who oversees Atlanta's Adopt-A-Drain program. Check out our interview below!
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What are the goals and mission of the Atlanta Adopt-A-Drain program?
The purpose of this program is to raise awareness to improve the City’s storm drainage system by educating and promoting the public’s involvement in stormwater management and maintenance.
What is the history of the Atlanta Adopt-A-Drain program? How long has the program been in operation? What program is this modeled after?
Department of Watershed Management (DWM) executive staff expressed an interest in developing a volunteer program in 2018 to address stormwater concerns in the city of Atlanta. They wanted to use this platform to educate our customers about the city’s watersheds, while also allowing residents to report any deficiencies in our stormwater infrastructure that may require maintenance and/or upgrades.
The pilot program was launched in April 2019 with the goal of enlisting 20 volunteers. Our Adopt-A-Drain Program took inspiration from several municipalities, including Portland, Virginia Beach, Houston, and San Francisco.
How many volunteers currently participate in the program? How many volunteers have participated in the program for its entirety?
There are currently 160 volunteers in the program. The original 20 volunteers from the launch of the pilot program are still active.
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Do you have any volunteer success stories you’d like to share?
There are three original volunteers who have been tending to their neighborhood drains for over 30 years. They were so excited to have this program available to city residents and happy to be rewarded with brand new supplies to help in their efforts.
What training and tools do you provide for volunteers?
Our Adopt-A-Drain program manager delivers a supply kit with cleaning tools, safety guidelines, and instructions on how to notify DWM of any problems with the storm drain to new volunteers. They are shown how to properly clean the storm drain with the tool kit, which includes:
- Bow rake
- Push broom
- Leaf litter bags
- Safety vest, safety glasses, and work gloves
What role does this program play in educating Atlanta residents about their watershed?
The program seeks to educate and engage the public on the importance of properly maintained stormwater infrastructure. Educational brochures on topics related to watershed management are included in the volunteer supply kit.
What percent of drains in Atlanta are currently adopted?
The City has approximately 10,000 storm drains, and 349 drains are currently adopted through the program. This is approximately 3.5 %.
What is one of your favorite aspects of running the program? What have you learned about Atlanta’s watersheds since running the program?
I enjoy meeting the volunteers and seeing the enthusiasm they have doing their part to prevent flooding and keeping their neighborhoods clean. The major thing that I have learned about Atlanta’s watersheds was something I observed as a stormwater inspector when I started with the City in 2011. I learned that Atlanta is not your average “concrete jungle” city, but rather a place that integrates highly urbanized areas with areas rich in natural resources.
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Click the link below to learn more, submit a brief application, and get started!
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Javier Sayago, Lowe Engineers LLC
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Javier graduated from the Universidad Central de Venezuela where he received a bachelor's degree in chemistry with an emphasis in geochemistry in 1999. His dream was to work for PDVSA (aka. CITGO), but he wasn’t able to due to political turmoil in Venezuela. Instead, he went to Trinidad & Tobago for an intense English course. When he returned to Venezuela the political atmosphere was even worse, so he decided to come to the U.S. He got a job at the University of Georgia working as an outreach specialist to promote waste reduction and the use of alternative fuels, yes, environmentally friendly fuels.
Javier moved from the lab at UGA to the GA EPD Air Protection Branch to work with ambient air monitoring. There he became even more passionate about protecting our natural resources. In 2015, he took a short break from environmental work and worked in sales in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He returned to GA in 2016, and got a job with the Henry County Stormwater Department doing the educational outreach MCM (Minimum Control Measures) for the county. This is where Javier learned about GA Adopt-A-Stream (AAS) and became a certified volunteer for chemical, bacterial, and macroinvertebrate monitoring. A year or so later, he became a certified trainer for all those parameters as well. He now works as a consultant in the stormwater field for Lowe Engineering and continues to train others to become certified volunteers for the program.
In terms of community benefits and impacts, Javier feels it has been a blessing to see youth he works with change their minds about what they want to pursue as a career after they’ve been involved with GA AAS. It is mind blowing when a student says that he/she initially wanted to be an architect or a doctor but after learning about GA AAS wants to pursue a career in an environmental field. Some students will learn about monitoring our water resources, and others will take our baton and carry on the work we do every day.
Javier lives in McDonough with his wife Megan and their three children. He enjoys rock climbing and caving. He has a 3rd degree black belt in Judo and teaches Judo and Jujitsu to children and adults in his spare time.
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Thank you to everyone that joined us at Confluence 2023 and especially to the volunteers who worked to make it a success! We had a fantastic time reconnecting with the AAS community, attending field sessions, workshops, poster sessions, and lectures. We owe a huge thank you to Mary Ellen Hannibal for joining us as this year’s keynote speaker! Thank you again to Unicoi State Park and Lodge for hosting us in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. Check out more photos in the GA Adopt-A-Stream Facebook 2023 Confluence Album.
We can’t wait to see you all again in 2024! Save the date for Confluence 2024, March 22-24, at Unicoi State Park and Lodge!
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Thank you as well to our generous sponsors for providing their support to the 2023 conference!
 For a complete list of event sponsors, visit the Adopt-A-Stream website.
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Get certified or recertified in an AAS monitoring program! While virtual options will still be available, in-person workshops are returning for those that feel comfortable attending. You can find workshop opportunities near you on the workshop calendar on the AAS website or contact your local coordinator or AAS@dnr.ga.gov to set up a workshop in your area.
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These groups monitored for the first time in April-June 2023!
Welcome to the AAS team!
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