Spring Break
Research professor is 'Clean Water Act Hero'
JEREMY CRAIG
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Judy Meyer was named a "Clean Water Act Hero" by the Clean Water Network. A University professor, Meyer has worked on river and streams research since joining the faculty in 1977.
"I'm incredibly honored," she said. "I have the utmost respect for advocacy organizations like this."
The Clean Water Network is a consortium of environmental organizations calling for public involvement in environmental issues, said Kes Roberts, legal director of the Georgia Legal Watch, a member organization of the Clean Water Network.
"The award gives special recognition to individuals who have given meaning to the Clean Water Act," which turns 30 years old this year, Roberts said.
The federal Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the power to enforce wastewater pollution control programs and created penalties for dumping waste into waters without permission, according to the EPA Web site (www.epa.gov).
In 2000, Meyer helped to form the River Basin Science and Policy Center, which conducts scientific and policy research in order to inform the public.
Meyer's research focuses on nutrient dynamics, sedimentation and headwater stream flow, Meyer said.
The goal of this research is to look at the effects of land use, she said.
"We're translating scientific understanding to what are major (development) concerns," she said.
"The Oconee River is of great interest," she said, as "the effects of sedimentation are shown."
The Oconee did not always flow red, she said, and "early explorers described being able to see fish at the bottom of the river."
