Pig Farm Landing on Oglethorpe Bluff in Wayne County was designed to be a showcase to demonstrate how boat landings should be built along a water way and still be compatible with the environment. According to my observations, just the opposite is occurring at this site. The construction site is causing the worst erosion and sedimentation of any site the Altamaha Riverkeeper has ever witnessed.

In mid June of 2003 ARK started receiving complaints about the erosion problems at the site and on June 27th I made my first site visit and was appalled at what I saw. The road and slopes of the road were completely washed out by rain causing severe erosion. (See photos) The flood plain on the north side of the landing was totally covered with red clay and sand with some areas being as deep as 12-14 inches. It appeared the majority of the sediment went to the north side of the road via a storm drain about mid way from the river to the top of the hill. On the south side of the landing the flood plain was still mostly under water but it was obvious from the color of the water that erosion had occurred on this side also.

We notified several State agencies trying to get the problems on site corrected to prevent further erosion into the Altamaha River and floodplain. I made two more site visits after my original complaint and the Wayne County Public Works Department took no action to correct the erosion and sedimentation problem. On 10-19-03, over four months had lapsed from my first filed complaint, and still, no action had been taken by the county to correct the problem.

I do not understand why Wayne County has let this area remain in this condition for such a long period. The State Erosion and Sedimentation Act states you must install adequate erosion control devices before beginning construction at any site. The act also says you must maintain these structures until after the construction is complete and the area of disturbed earth is stabilized.

On 12-18-03 I made another return site visit to find the slopes had been grassed and stabilized with hay bales along the side of the road to help prevent further erosion but the floodplain had not been restored to its original condition prior to construction. The eroded soils were still in the flood plain covering the roots and sides of the trees. There is a good chance the erosion will kill these trees if it remains in its current condition.

As I walked over the site, I observed ruts dug into the newly grassed slopes where øAll Terrain Vehicles" (ATV's) had been riding up and down. Over time, these ruts will cause erosion and degrade the slopes (see photo). I talked with the foreman of the crew working at the site and he said the county spent three thousand dollars stabilizing the slopes along the landing road. These are tax dollars spent by the citizens of Wayne County and the destruction by thoughtless individuals is a travesty. I was informed that the county used surveillance cameras to try and catch the vandals but had not been successful.

Laws are created to prevent water quality problems and should be enforced. The ARK would like to see the Wayne County Public Works Department correct the problems on the site and restore the floodplain back to its natural state then it could be a landing that we could all be proud of. We only have one Altamaha River and we need to take care of it.