Tag Archives: Georgia Pollution

Cleanup of Golden Ray Wreckage Continues in St. Simons Sound

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Shortly after departing the Port of Brunswick in the early hours of 8 September 2019, the 656′ cargo ship Golden Ray capsized in the waters of St. Simons Sound, between Driftwood Beach (Jekyll Island) and St. Simons Island. Loaded with around 4000 new Hyundai and Kia automobile en route to the Port of Baltimore, the ship sent out an emergency call around 2:00 AM and within two hours, 20 crew were rescued.  4 remained unaccounted for and a fire was raging on the unstable vessel. Holes were cut in the hull and they were extracted safely by the Coast Guard on Monday. Sector Charleston Capt. John Reed told reporters it was the best day of his career.

It was initially thought that the ship could be saved, but that proved to be infeasible. A recent report in the Navy Times suggests that it could remain in the sea for the next year. Coast Guard Cmdr. Matt Bear says “…the Golden Ray has been slowly sinking in the sand because of the powerful tides…and…the situation makes it impossible to get the ship upright without breaking it apart and creating an even bigger problem.”

One of the biggest immediate concerns at present is the environmental impact of the wreck. The ship’s 30,000-gallon fuel supply has been removed but contaminants from the 4000 vehicles yet to be extracted from the wreckage continue to pose a threat and oil continues to leak. Altamaha Riverkeeper has been monitoring pollution impact and has discovered oil slicks and tarballs in the marshes and tidal rivers of St. Simons and Jekyll Islands. While any environmental impact is potentially problematic for the area’s tourist and fishing economies, it isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, according to the Riverkeeper. The incident well illustrates the balance that must be struck between economic and environmental concerns.

ARCO Administration Building, Circa 1919, Brunswick

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This was the main office of the Atlantic Refining Company/Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), which operated an oil refinery in Brunswick from 1919-1935. it was one of the largest employers in Brunswick and built an entire village to support its operations, albeit a segregated one. Subsequent owners of the property were Georgia Power, Dixie Paint, and two chemical companies, and years of unchecked pollution led to the classification of much of the property as a Superfund site. Honeywell, the present owners, are involved in ongoing cleanup and reclamation of the property and surrounding estuary.

Abandoned Gable Front Cottage, 1930s, Brunswick

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Pollution on the Altamaha River

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Thanks to Constance Riggins and Deborah Sheppard at Altamaha Riverkeeper, I recently made a flight over the Altamaha River to photograph Paddle Georgia participants kayaking the stretch of the river near the Rayonier mill (now RYAM) in Jesup. Rayonier is a vital part of the economy of the entire Wayne County area, but regardless of their protection by DNR and EPD, state agencies charged with enforcement of established standards, they continue to pollute the air and the river.

Relaxed enforcement due in part to politics and in part to economic woes has begun to show on our rivers and waterways. Look no further than King America in Screven County for evidence of this trend: discharge from their facility into the Ogeechee River culminated in the deaths of over 35,000 fish last year.

Paddle Georgia, the Georgia River Network, and Altamaha Riverkeeper aren’t a bunch of fringe environmentalists hellbent on shutting down facilities and interfering with good businesses, but rather they’re normal people who care more about the earth’s future than they do about minimization of profits. They come from all socioeconomic backgrounds and their politics run the spectrum. They all love rivers.  It’s strange to me how when I was growing up, Southerners made fun of the Rust Belt cities up north for not caring about their resources and for being such bad stewards of God’s earth. I saw the South as being above that sort of irresponsibility but the bad economy has forced businesses and government agencies charged with protection of natural resources into a “deal with the devil”. It’s clear that the powers that be are choosing jobs and the immediate economy over the long-term health of the environment and how that will effect the lives and well-being of future generations.

I was hesitant to post these photographs, as I’m not on some sort of mission to smear Rayonier or the government, but I think it’s time everyday people made their voices heard. When someone accuses you of caring more about rivers than you care about the ability of people to make a living, just say it’s not about choosing one over the other. It’s about balancing the two in a way that gives a damn about this messy world we’re leaving behind.

The image above, showing Paddle Georgia participants making their way through the Rayonier discharge near Doctortown in Wayne County, was published on the front page of the Savannah Morning News, 23 June 2012.