As the county studies how to have Talking Rock Creek removed from a federal list of impaired waters, they are asking everyone who lives near the waterway to keep an eye out for possible dumping violations.
In 2002, the stretch of Talking Rock Creek from Highway 515 to the Gilmer County line was found to contain high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, or e. colli, placing it on the impaired list. Talking Rock Creek is the only waterway in Pickens County that is on the federal list, known as the 303-D list, according to county planning director Norman Pope.
Pope said his initial thoughts are that too few test samples from Talking Rock were taken to give an accurate reading. If samples are taken following a rain in any creek, the level of fecal coliform are higher.
"They used such a limited sample they may not have gotten a true measure of the quality of the stream," Pope said.
Pope said he and other members of a committee composed of county officials, environmental groups and development personnel are preparing a plan to reduce fecal coliform under state requirements for all 303D waters, but they are also hoping updated samples may solve the problem by showing the water is much cleaner than thought.
Talking Rock is also cited as having high mercury level in fish, a separate impairment that Pope said is difficult to figure out. He said it's hard to spot any potential source of mercury in the waterway. On the EPA website, only a few other rivers in Georgia were cited for Mercury contamination in fish tissue, most in south Georgia.
Especially for the fecal pollution, Pope asked everyone living near the creek, or any Pickens waterway, to keep an eye open for any type of "straight piped" sewage or illegal dumping.
In Fannin County last year two septic tank pumpers were caught dumping directly into the Ocoee watershed. Several people became ill and were hospitalized there due to the contamination.Pope said there is no reason to believe this is occurring here, but the situation with an relatively isolated waterway within a close proximity to Highway 515 could lend itself to illegal dumping.
Talking Rock would be prime spot for illegally emptying trucks, Pope said as it's isolated, but still fairly convenient.
In his previous experience with Fannin County government, Pope said they once caught a septic hauler from Cleveland, TN dumping in the river there and later a junkyard owner from Marietta was found to have a dumped an entire truckload of old car parts beside, and into, a river.

In Blairsville a pumper was caught tapping directly into the public sewage system to dump. While not common, this is a crime that people should be aware of as a general precaution and something that could be increasingly more likely throughout the state.
Pope explained that almost all Georgia sewage systems are running near capacity and this is leading to higher prices and fewer options for the industries which service portable toilets and pump septic tanks. Pope said he could envision some of the marginal operations in those industries looking to cut costs by finding other places to dump.
Pope said if anyone sees a tanker truck parked by a waterway or on a bridge, he asked that they contact 911 or the Health Department.
"If you're asking yourself, "What in the world is that truck doing in this area at this time of day?" you should probably call and report it."
Besides spotting a truck, Pope said a foul odor and the presence of toilet paper in a creek might indicate illegal waste dumping and should be reported to either the sheriff office or 911.
While it is believed the fecal coliform in Talking Rock Creek is mostly from wild animals, Pope said during the water sampling for retesting, there will be more attention to possible straight pipe sewage entering the creek.
Pope said he doesn't believe there are many, if any, homes still piping their sewage directly into streams. But if anyone is, they need to be aware it is a health hazard and they will be required to correct it.
The North Georgia RDC, who is represented on the Talking Rock Creek 303D committee, has announced there is federal funding available to help any homeowner along the river install or replace a septic system if needed.
Pope said some studies indicate only a few incidents of depositing fecal matter directly into a river can affect the water quality far downstream.
Pope wanted to stress that while they will be looking at possible sources of contamination, his hunch is they won't find anything significant.
"From talking to people knowledgeable on the subject my impression is that if it's only fecal contamination, then it may be mother nature," he said.