Athens-Clarke County Stormwater Geocache: “Water Logged”
‘Water Logged’ is a Geotrail created by Athens-Clarke County Stormwater Department that shows how rainwater gets from our streets to our streams.
Stormwater runoff is the number one source of water pollution in the United States. When rain falls on impervious surfaces such as rooftops, roads, sidewalks, parking lots, and driveways instead of being absorbed by the ground, it flows into storm drains and from there flows directly into nearby streams. In Athens-Clarke County, stormwater is not treated before it enters our streams, which means that anything stormwater encounters as it flows along impervious surfaces could end up polluting our streams, including: trash, debris, sediment, chemicals, fertilizers, dog waste, soaps, and car oil.
The geocaches you are about to discover are placed near various methods used to improve water quality and reduce stormwater pollution. These methods help absorb, slow, or treat runoff before it reaches our streams.
The cache is only available during daylight hours. The Memorial Park parking lot closes at 5:30 PM. This cache was placed with the permission of Memorial Park. NOTE: This cache is located in a dog park. If you are afraid of dogs, this cache is not recommended.
There are 81 miles of streams in Athens-Clarke County that are listed as impaired by fecal coliform, a bacteria from animal waste. Dog waste that is left on our lawns, streets, and sidewalks is swept into our streams by stormwater, bringing with it fecal coliform bacteria. Almost every park in Athens-Clarke County has free ‘doggy-bags’ available at stands like the one you see here.