Jay Paul, chairman of Oglethorpe County’s Board of Commissioners, was recognized for his work on sludge and soil amendments when the Georgia Water Coalition released its annual report on Nov. 1.
The Clean 13 Report is an account of individuals and organizations in Georgia who have taken action to protect water sources in the state. Paul was honored for his work with the Rural Georgia Protection Alliance, which consists of commissioners from Wilkes, Madison, Oglethorpe, Elbert and Warren counties.
“It’s an honor to be recognized,” Paul said. “Not just myself, but my colleagues from the surrounding counties of Elbert, Madison, Warren and Wilkes. It just shows this region that we’re doing all we can to make sure — if this is going to be allowed — to make sure it’s done as correctly as possible.”
Paul and the Oglethorpe Board of Commissioners have approved legislation to implement greater oversight of areas that might be affected by heavy soil amendment usage. This legislation allowed for the local government to report potential sources of contamination to the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Division.
As a group, Paul and the Rural Georgia Protection Alliance have worked to address poor government regulations for soil amendments, according to the report. The report said commissioners came together to form the organization after the 2022 Little River fish kill, an event in which 1,700 fish died in Wilkes County because of a sludge spill.
Since then, the Rural Georgia Protection Alliance has lobbied for more legislation on the issue, which led to the General Assembly adding $550,000 to the Department of Agriculture budget. The money was used to hire three new employees who are responsible for the oversight and regulation of soil amendment distribution.
Paul said the issue is out of the Alliance’s hands.
“The Department of Agriculture’s Soil Amendment program has been an issue in Elbert County for over a decade,” Elbert County Commission Chair Lee Vaughn said. “It will continue to harm Georgia counties until there are major fundamental changes made. The new Ag Commissioner understands the issue and has made some changes. Only time will tell if they are effective or not.”