A local environmental

group concerned about the water quality of Line Creek is seeking attention

from agencies and elected officials at the state and federal levels.

The hope is

that someone will step in and determine if there are problems with Line

Creek's water, said Dennis Chase, head of the Line Creek Association.

That's why LCA is preparing to send out information packets explaining

its position that the creek's water might be contaminated.

The packet

will also include about 600 pages of background material, including documentation

of studies that have been conducted on Line Creek.

"We're

asking them (the state and federal agencies) to be ready to intervene,"

said Chase, who is a former employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The disappearance

of freshwater mussels from areas of Line Creek is an indication that there

could be problems with the water, LCA representatives have claimed.

Recently, the

Peachtree City Council turned down the LCA's request for an independent

review of recent water quality studies on Line Creek. The request was

denied based on advice from City Attorney Rick Lindsey that an independent

review would "challenge" the Peachtree City Water and Seweraage

Authority and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Mayor Bob

Lenox also cited the findings of a recent watershed study that was conducted

on Line Creek and other bodies of water in the area. The EPD signed off

on the watershed study results, Lenox added.

The LCA maintains

that the city Water and Sewer Authority could have expanded the watershed

study, but chose not to, Chase said.

"Their

plan for handling problems is to avoid them or ignore them," Chase

said.

Chase said

officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are interested in viewing

the LCA packet, and the agency could order an endangered species study

relating to the mussels.

But the heavy

hitter the LCA wants to step in is the Environmental Protection Agency,

which could take a strong look at the proposal to discharge more treated

sewage in Line Creek.

WASA has been

preparing to expand its sewer treatment capacity from 4.9 to 6 million

gallons per day. LCA plans to oppose that move during the permitting process,

Chase said.

"The EPA

has the regulatory authority" to review the sewer expansion plans,

Chase said.

Chase has contended

that the increase in sewage treatment capacity isn't needed since Peachtree

City's residential areas are nearly complete.

The proposed

sewer expansion is one of several items that could hurt Line Creek's water

quality in the future. Another is the possible creation of Lake McIntosh,

a proposed reservoir for the Fayette County Water System that would be

fed by Line Creek, Chase said.

North of Peachtree

City, Fairburn officials propose spraying partially treated sewage for

disposal on fields which could also affect Line Creek, he added.

In addition

to seeking the help of federal agencies, Chase said he will be approaching

Governor Roy Barnes in an effort to get the state EPD to look closer into

the situation. Chase has often been critical of EPD, claiming the agency

is very lax about enforcing water quality regulations and signing off

on plans such as the sewer expansion that could impair water quality of

streams like Line Creek.

"People

say it (Line Creek) must be all right because the state says so,"

Chase said, adding that's not always the case. "They (WASA and Peachtree

City officials) didn't look at some of these things because the state

didn't require them to."

State and federal

legislators from the area will also be sent the packets so they can consider

intervening also, Chase said.

There's also

a slight possibility that the LCA's complaints about Line Creek could

attract the attention of environmental groups that could help bring a

lawsuit against WASA and/or the city, Chase said. LCA's resources aren't

deep enough to fund litigation, he added.

Chase also

acknowledged that the LCA's efforts to draw attention to water quality

issues will likely result in the "side effect" of bad publicity

for the city. Still, he plans on sending the information packets to area

newspapers also.