Official calls for widespread effort to clean up Flat Creek

Lakeside living has its advantages: scenic views, cool breezes from the lake and instant access to one of the state’s top recreational gems.

But residents living off Flat Creek, which leads into Lake Lanier, are fed up with trash that comes downstream with every hard rain, and a torrential downpour Aug. 10 has fueled their frustrations.

“The cove across from my dock was completely full of trash,” said Paul Mercer of Ridgewood Drive in West Hall, recalling the scene from his backyard on the morning of Aug. 11.

Horace Gee Jr., Gainesville’s environmental services administrator, said troubles began late Aug. 10 when some 4 inches of rain fell in a 90-minute episode.

“It was like a 100-year flood event right in the downtown area, from the square and reaching out to the (Lee Gilmer Memorial) Airport,” he said. “It was more than our infrastructure — the

Article source: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/71563/

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