Outreach
Safe Water Together Glynn County Program Installs New Community Lab
By Luke Roberson
Glynn County is known as a gateway to beaches on Jekyll and Saint Simons Island, with Brunswick as the county’s administrative center. However, the area is also recognized for four Superfund sites – areas listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as needing significant environmental cleanup and remediation.
County Commissioner Allen Booker raised an issue regarding increased subsistence fishing in Terry Creek during the pandemic—a water body directly impacted by decades of contamination by the Hercules Landfill. Despite advisories and monitoring by the EPA and Hercules, the local community continues to fish there.
The reasons behind this are multifaceted, encompassing tradition, geography, culture, and economic necessity. Historically, environmental research and messaging have often excluded those with lower incomes and people of color, even though they face the highest health risks from pollution.
In February, the IWH began a series of training sessions for our participants, with certifications to collect and log data into the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream database, the largest volunteer water quality monitoring organization in Georgia. In March, we installed a mini-lab with water monitoring gear, safety equipment, and an aquatic bacteria analysis system owned by the Safe Water Together team.
As we head into the summer sampling season, the team will grow in numbers, capacity, and capability. Two summer interns will join the group and collect information on water quality and the community’s perceptions and attitudes on how they can make policy changes with the data they collect.
Meet the Team at the IWH
The Institute for Water and Heath at Georgia Southern relies on our interdisciplinary team to get things done for our communities on the Georgia Coast and beyond. We use a blend of science, expertise, communication, and technological know-how to answer questions that lie at the intersection of water and health. In this video, produced by our Communications Student Vanessa Countryman, Dr. Asli Aslan, Director and founder talks about our mission and how our diverse expertise gives us an edge when we are solving the complex issues around water. Dr. Jake Loveless, our Lab Manager discusses his background and the importance of conservation. Luke Roberson, the Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator goes over how communication is essential to making a public impact with research, and Victoria Clower, our Graduate Researcher recalls her personal connection to rural water quality and her dedication to the mission of the IWH.
IWH staff talks about water quality with Effingham middle schoolers
IWH staff joined Kania Greer from Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education to talk to middle school students from Effingham County at the Honey Ridge Agricultural Center. Luke Roberson taught the kids how to do simple water quality tests, and what they meant for the ecosystem in the water and the people around it, while Kania Greer went over the importance of macroinvertebrates to water monitoring. Over 90 students came through the two learning tables. The IWH makes a point to work with K-12 students and educators on how to communicate science in a fun and transferrable manner.