At the same time Atlanta has faced serious problems in the maintenance of its wastewater infrastructure. One million metro Atlantans still use septic tanks-more than in any other major metropolitan area. The water quality of the Chattahoochee is threatened by rampant suburban growth and inadequate or aging water and sewer systems (in some areas) runoff from paved surfaces, agriculture lands, and lawns erosion from construction sites and seepage from septic tanks. Half of all Georgians drink water drawn from the Chattahoochee River.
These waters are threatened primarily by pollution associated with poor development practices and urban storm-water runoff. Statewide, thirty-two of Georgia’s fifty-three monitored watersheds have documented water quality problems. The rapid rate of growth in Georgia, coupled with limited water resources, results in concerns about water quality and quantity. In 2014 the American Lung Association ranked Macon the fifteenth worst city in the nation for year-round particle pollution. Other cities in the state, including Columbus, Macon, and Augusta, are faced with worsening air quality as well. A 1994 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that after ozone alerts, emergency rooms in Atlanta regional hospitals reported a 37 percent increase in admissions for respiratory ailments, and the number of asthmatic children who visit metropolitan emergency rooms increased by one-third. According to the Georgia chapter of the American Lung Association, excessive particle pollution makes thousands of Atlanta-area emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma cases substantially worse each year. In 2014 the American Lung Association ranked Atlanta the eighteenth most polluted city in terms of year-round particle pollution. Consequently, the air quality of metro Atlanta is a significant concern the impacts of poor air quality on human health are substantial. Despite this abundance of asphalt, Atlanta has the fifteenth-worst traffic congestion in the country. The metropolitan Atlanta region has more than 16,000 miles of roads, the second-highest number of miles per capita of any metropolitan area in the nation. Coastal Georgia expects to reach a population of more than 840,000 by 2030, a 51 percent increase from its 2000 population, and Georgia’s mountainous regions are expected to increase in population by around 2 percent each year through 2030. Some experts believe that the region’s population could double by 2050.Īlthough growth tends to be associated with the metropolitan Atlanta area, other regions in Georgia are also experiencing population increases. Atlanta’s urban land area expanded nearly 35 percent between 20, following a 47 percent expansion between 19 and a 25 percent expansion between 19. Home to 5.2 million people (up from 1.8 million in 1970), Atlanta continues to have the fastest growth rate of any southeastern city with a population of more than a million people. There are no large bodies of water, mountains, or major federal land holdings to limit the city’s outward growth. The Atlanta Regional Commission defines the metro Atlanta area as the following ten counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale.
Sprawl in GeorgiaĪtlanta is the largest metropolitan area in the Southeast. While growth and development have both diversified and strengthened Georgia’s economy, rapid and seemingly unchecked growth is responsible for major environmental impacts that must be addressed in order to preserve the quality of life for Georgia citizens. The three largest growing counties in the state are all either in the Atlanta metro region or immediately adjacent: Henry, Forsyth, and Paulding counties had population increases of 78 percent, 74 percent, and 71 percent respectively between 20. The Atlanta region, home to about 5.2 million, is the ninth most populous metropolitan statistical area in the country, and its population increased by 24 percent between 20. In that decade, Georgia’s population increased by 1.5 million, the fourth highest numeric increase in the country (behind Texas, California, and Florida). census, between 20 Georgia’s population increased 18.3 percent, nearly twice the national average of 9.7 percent. The environmental impacts of urban sprawl in Georgia are among the most significant and widespread in the nation.
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