Where There's Rain, There's Flooding

Let rain season begin, Atlanta. It was raining all last night and into the morning, and though it stopped an hour ago I'm still sloshing through street-streams of water. Come to think of it by only two days of rain its my street floods. Why is it that when it rains in Atlanta, it floods? Where is the water going and why does it seem that the city can't hold a little bit of water.

On my way to the Outdoor Activity Center this morning I noticed that the gutter was overflowing with water. How is it that our gutters are overwhelmed, I began to wonder, until I realized that as far as the eye could see everything is paved and there is very little green space and watersheds. Think that is unrelated? It's not. Normally, in a less inustrialized area water would be absorbed by the terrain and the waterways. Now the question is, does Atlanta have enough green space to absorb the rain?

My answer to that query is a big fat NO, seeing as even the slightest amount of rain will cause minor floods. We as residents of Atlanta should consider advocating for the creation of more green space as a way of directly improving the sewage and flooding situation that we've got going on down here. The population is estimated to continue to expand exponentially, so as the city develops we must remember to protect strategic natural spaces.

For the Sake of Green Space

We didn't have the money to take long rode trips to amusement parks and family resorts, so the nearby park became an integral part of my growing up. One particular summer, my Dad created what we called Camp Bullock. Every day that summer my Dad took us to Franklin Park. Some days it was just sandwiches and a cooler full of iced tea. Other days it was a full scale cookout with some of our cousins. No matter who was there, we managed to use our imaginations.

In that park were the foundational remains of Ralph Waldo Emerson's house. We didn't know we were standing in the ruins of an intellectual great. What we did know is that we were standing in a castle. I, as the youngest girl, was the beautiful and rebellious princess. And despite the coaxing of my sister, the queen, I refused to marry the Prince of Spain.

These were the silly games of a childhood, but they illustrate the inherent importance of exposing our youth to green space. The complaint among nutritionists is about obesity in children, and while it is important to change our kids' diets it is also important to add physical fitness into one's lifestyle. Parents should be able to facilitate regular physical activity for their children.

"Go play," my father often instructed almost soon as the sun came out. His job was pretty low maintenance. My parents bought sports equipment and groceries, mother prepared our food, and my father drove us all. After we set up at our table, my father would sit under a tree and read a book or write a sermon while the six of us continued on pretending the park was some uncharted wilderness. Once you provide for outdoor time, children will make fun out of nothing, even if they are initially blinded by complaints.

Protect our green space in the interest of protecting our youth. Help them develop a relationship and appreciation for the outdoors and you will be defending their health and enriching their development.

-Karen Bullock

Welcome

Hello West Atlanta, this is the voice of the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and the Outdoor Activity Center. Here we will discuss issues relevant to greenspace and watershed. Stay tuned!