Cleanup Pulls 2.3 Tons of Trash from Peachtree Creek

Tires, hubcaps and appliances. More than 80 volunteers collected all kinds of trash March 1 while cleaning up Atlanta Memorial Park during the newly established Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy’s first Peachtree Creek Cleanup Day.

Partnering with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, organizers recruited more than 80 volunteers from Castlewood Civic Association, Springlake Civic Association, Brandon Civic Association, Wildwood Civic Association, Peachtree Battle Alliance, Memorial Park Neighborhood Association, Friends of Bobby Jones Golf Course, Diplomatic Leadership Corps, Pollack Shores and PSREG/Matrix Residential to take part in the cleanup.

Among the more than 2.3 tons of trash removed from the water were: a shopping cart, 37 tires weighing 832 pounds, hub caps, a car bumper, clothing, shoes, metal pipes, gutters, appliances, plastic bottles, golf balls and a golf club.

“Working together with the local community and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, AMPC can do its part in preserving Georgia’s water resources while working towards making the conservancy’s vision a reality” said AMPC President Roxanne Smith in a news release. “This event is just the beginning of the conservancy’s efforts to improve overall water quality in the park and bring awareness of and involvement in the preservation of our local creek, water resources and Memorial Park.”

The cleanup effort focused on the two-mile stretch of Peachtree and Tanyard Creek that run through Atlanta Memorial Park from Colonial Homes to Howell Mill. Both creeks funnel water from a natural drainage basin that serves some 55,000 acres ranging from Decatur to Dunwoody and are highly contaminated with garbage and debris.

The Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy aims to create a master plan for the property that includes Bobby Jones Golf Course, Bitsy Grant Tennis Center and Atlanta Memorial Park.

The master plan will focus, among other things, on solutions to improve conditions on those segments of Peachtree Creek and Tanyard Creek running through the park, including storm water management and flood mitigation; restoration and preservation of creek beds to prevent further erosion; and management of sewer-related issues.