State of the Watersheds: Metro Atlanta Urban Waters Symposium 2025

Our 4th Annual MAUW Symposium will highlight environmental activism with a particular emphasis on environmental justice and climate change in confluence with community organizations.

PLEASE complete your registration by Monday, October 20th!

The Urban Watersheds of Atlanta: Proctor Creek, Sandy Creek, South River Creek and Utoy Creek.

Atlanta's Watersheds

By: Mollie Taylor

Proximity2nature.com

We often talk about the I-285 "perimeter" of Atlanta, but there are other natural perimeters that occupy little of our attention.

Pictured here are four of Atlanta's watersheds. Clockwise from the top right, they are Peachtree Creek, Upper South River, Utoy Creek-Chattahoochee River.

The Eastern Continental Divide

By: Mollie Taylor

Proximity2nature.com

Atlanta sits atop of the Eastern Continental Divide. Similar to the Great Continental Divide (where rivers on one side drain to the pacific and on the other side to the Atlantic), water on one side of this line flows to the Gulf of Mexico, while water on the other side flows directly to the Atlantic Ocean.

Because this ridgeline is relatively flat, railways were built here, followed by Dekalb Avenue and Lee Street, which roughly follow the divide.

Info: Monica Lewis-Patrick is an educator, entrepreneur, and human rights activist. She has become one of the most distinguished social justice experts in Michigan, nationwide, and globally. Known as "The Water Warrior," Lewis-Patrick is actively engaged in the fight to access safe, affordable water for all strategically undervalued communities. IIn 2019 she was appointed to the International Joint Commission (IJC) Great Lakes Water Quality Advisory Board, and is serving her second term. She also received an appointment to the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice by Gov. Whitmer; where she currently serves as the Co-chair of the Water Committee. In 2022, Lewis-Patrick joined the University of Waterloo as a Jarislowsky Fellow. She also serves as a member of several organizations, boards, and committees dedicated to the advancement of water equity.

Info: 3 Concurrent Breakout Sessions based on WAWA's 3 focus areas: Environmental Education- "Expanding Beyond the Classroom and into the Watershed"
Environmental Justice- "Collective Power: Building Smart Studies and Solutions"
Environmental Stewardship- "What's the BUZZ in ES- Volunteering, Stewardship, and conservation in Atlanta"

Info: Marccus D. Hendricks is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies and (Environmental) Planning and is the Director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab at the University of Maryland (UMD). He also holds appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. Recently, Dr. Hendricks served in the Biden-Harris Administration as a Senior Advisor for Climate and Community Resilience in the inaugural Office of Environmental Justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) in the Executive Office of the President. Dr. Hendricks is a native of Dallas, TX, he holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science and a Master of Public Health, both from Texas A&M University and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Texas.

Info: Brenda Coley is the Co-Executive Director of Milwaukee Water Commons. Over the years she has served in various positions in the non-profit and academic sectors and brings a long-standing commitment to social justice and community organizing. She has been a non-profit director, research coordinator and project manager with expertise in leadership development and organizational capacity building. Brenda is committed to exploring the influences of one’s own culture and understanding ways in which groups of people are treated in society, using that knowledge to develop strategies to effectively engage diverse groups of people in important community issues.

Host or Publisher West Atlanta Watershed Alliance