2023 Stormwater Steward Award Winners

Each year, the Athens-Clarke County Stormwater Management Program presents the Stormwater Steward Award to an organization, business, individual, or community group that has gone above and beyond to reduce the impact of stormwater runoff on our waters through a specific project, practice, or event. This year, our Stormwater Steward Award was presented to two community members that are dedicated to environmental stewardship. 

Kyle and Melanie Burlew are wonderful examples of what it means to be stormwater stewards at a residential level. They have installed enough rain barrels to their home to collect over 1,700 gallons of rainwater when they're all full and have brought in over 15 truckloads of mulch to put throughout their yard.

Not only do these rain barrels help Kyle and Melanie to conserve water to be used towards their garden, but the barrels and mulch also reduce a great deal of runoff from their property! With stormwater pollution being the number one source of water pollution, individual efforts really do have ability to make a huge impact and Kyle and Melanie have put so much work into making their yard a space where stormwater truly is used as a resource. We cannot applaud them enough for minimizing runoff from their property and protecting our waterways.

Fixing Drainage Issues in Your Yard

The Stormwater Management Program is currently working on creating a Rainscaping Program to provide support to community members that are experiencing drainage issues on their property. We are seeking pictures from property owners that show what they've done to fix drainage issues on their property. Have you installed a rain barrel, built a rain garden, or installed permeable pavement on your property? We'd love to see the work that you've done and share it with Athenians that may be experiencing drainage issues on their property. 

To share your photos with us, please visit https://www.accgov.com/FormCenter/Stormwater-Management-24/Fixing-Drainage-Issues-Survey-868. 

Rainscaping Program Interest Form

We're excited to see photos showing how you've worked to fix drainage issues on your property and we'd also love to hear your thoughts on our Rainscaping Program! We envision this program being made up of 5 different workshops. 2 would be virtual and asynchronous while the other 3 would be in-person and interactive. All workshops would be led by professionals and last between 30 - 60 minutes. 

These workshops will cover topics such as common drainage issues, rainscaping strategies, rain gardens, and lawncare for healthy waterways. This program is still in the works, but we'd love to hear what you would like us to consider as we keep brainstorming. Visit https://www.accgov.com/FormCenter/Stormwater-Management-24/Rainscaping-Program-Interest-Form-869 to fill out a quick 5 minute survey to share your thoughts on this potential program. 

Notice Dumping?

Call the Stormwater Hotline at 706-614-1282 if you see someone dumping into a storm drain or notice flooding due to clogged pipes.