District of the Year

 

The District of the Year award was established by GACDS and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 2001 to recognize the conservation district in Georgia which best plans, implements, and reports a conservation program in a given year.  The winning districts include:

  • 2001 - Lamar County (Group III)
  • 2002 - Oconee River (Group II)
  • 2003 - Blue Ridge Mountain (Group II)
  • 2004 - Catoosa County (Group I)
  • 2005 - Coastal (Group V) 
  • 2006 - Broad River (Group II)
  • 2007 - Satilla River (Group V)
  • 2008 - Walton County (Group III)
  • 2009 - Upper Chattahoochee River (Group II)
  • 2010 - Stephens County (Group II)
  • 2011 - Hall County (Group II)
  • 2012 - Oconee River (Group II)

 

Tennessee Valley Authority, Sponsor of District of the Year

TVA Watershed Teams work cooperatively with SWCDs and other partners in North Georgia counties to plan and implement agricultural and urban best management practices that improve water quality in streams and reservoirs in the Tennessee River Basin.  TVA also provides educational outreach to community leaders, residents, and school children through exhibits, presentations, publications and hands-on learning opportunities.  Examples include:

  • Partnering with NRCS, 4 SWCDs, and other agencies on water quality restoration in South Chickamauga Creek and its tributaries (through funding from a PL-566 grant and NRCS) and providing 5 years of monitoring data to support the effort.
  • Cooperative planning and implementation of a series of Georgia Growth Readiness Workshops, partnering with the GA Department of Community Affairs and the SE Watershed Forum.  Participating counties included Towns, Union, Rabun and Fannin in the Northeast, and Dade, Walker, Catoosa, and Chattooga in Northwest.  Working with a broad cross section of community leaders, participants gained understanding and ideas for better site design ordinances and practices, and developed recommendations for draft ordinances appropriate to their jurisdictions.
  • Partnering with the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition to address water quality issues of the upper Hiwassee River.  Through cooperative efforts with the Coalition, a Watershed Action Plan has been completed for Chatuge Reservoir and public support for implementation has been gratifying.  A focus on improving water quality in several streams in the Nottely Reservoir watershed is also underway.

TVA's Senior Water Resource Representative Linda Harris, presenter of the District of the Year award at the Annual Meetings, stated, "The scope of work and the successes that have been achieved by the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Districts in addressing soil and water conservation concerns are most commendable.  Through implementation of numerous locally-led initiatives to protect our land and water resources, the Districts are creating and accomplishing important conservation goals that benefit both the natural resources and area residents."