4.1.

5 Community Profile
Arsha, Sam, Maryam, Rudy, Brayden
Industry History-Arsha
- The Western and Atlantic Railroad stretched from Atlanta to Cartersville and went
through Cobb County in the 1830s. Many small towns were built along this railroad
and Kennesaw was among them.
- During the Civil War, there were many militant training camps built along the
Kennesaw rail because of its convenient proximity to fresh water and transportation.
- -Kennesaw was used as a hub for supplies, hospitals, and Civil War headquarters and
therefore small businesses began popping up as the land began recovering from the
war.
- In the late 19th century, the railroad continued to be the main source of employment
for locals and became the biggest industry in the city
Industry History Part 2
-Cotton also found its way of the top of Southern industry at this point. This interaction
between cotton and railroad industries helped boost the economy.
-In the late 1900s and early 2000s, the city urbanized a lot more as shopping complexes
and business appeared. The rich history of the area and its prevalence in the Civil War has
been preserved in a variety of way including Southern museums and exhibitions, in turn
helping the economy.
Industry History Part 3
- The increased urbanization of the area has lead to a decrease in the air quality. The
Air Quality Index demonstrates a value of 49/100, meaning it is slightly below
average.
- A byproduct of urbanization is also poorer water quality in the area. The Kennesaw
Water Quality Index shows a value of 40/100, also below the recommended value.
Hazardous Waste-Rudy
- SuperFund risk assessment determines how threatening a hazardous waste is
- In Cobb County, the Hazardous Waste Disposal treats contaminants before they can enter
water or food sources.
- These sites treat water by following the guidelines set by the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act which involves 6 methods
Hazardous Waste Part 2
- Groundwater Pumping and Treatment: they extract the ground water with a pump then proceed to remove any hazardous chemicals that may

be found within it

- waste water treatment: if water has been contaminated with hazardous chemicals they either use a biological or chemical separation to

remove the waste.

- Bioremediation: uses natural biodegradation to destroy any of the contaminants by microorganisms, which can be helpful with the

addition of nutrients or cultivation.

- Incineration: uses extreme high temperatures to destroy any hazardous waste or any contaminants that have contaminated water.

- Thermal Desorption: utilizes high temperatures to soil that has been contaminated by hazardous waste. They do this by vaporizing

volatile and semi-volatile organics which are then either collected or treated with an afterburner.

- Removal and Disposal: if there are dangerous contaminants within the soil the entire soil is removed and brought to a hazardous waste

site.
Air Quality-Maryam
- Compared to other areas in Georgia, Cobb Count as a much more dense population
and therefore is a more highly polluted area.
- One of the biggest contributors of air pollution are diesel engines and coal burning.
This is accentuated during the morning rush hours and Atlanta traffic hours as the air
quality is concentrated with pollutants.
- Particulate Matter (PM): a common pollutant that is highly dangerous because of the
various different forms and sizes it come in. These particles can make their way into
someone’s system and cause various health issues such as breathing instability. Some
of the long term effects of inhaling these particles are asthma and lung/heart illness.
Air Quality Part 2
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2): these are very common pollutants because they are released
by combustion, which happens often with cars. If inhaled, this pollutant can cause
major irritation in the respiratory system and could also cause acid rain in the
environment.
Water Quality- Samantha
- The Chattahoochee River and Lake Allatoona are the two main sources of water for
Cobb County. Quarles Water Treatment and Wyckoff Water Treatment are the two
facilities that process this water.
1. Water is stored in a large basin until it is ready to be filtered.
2. Ozonation: disinfects the water and gives it a better taste
3. The water is then mixed with chlorine and filtered with carbon.
- There is a risk that the water becomes contaminated in the pipes after it leaves the
facility, but the water is tested at multiple sites throughout its journey, so the risk is
negligible.
Water Quality Part 2 - Samantha
- Microbial Contaminants: These are mainly coliforms and E. coli. These end up in the
water supply through groundwater runoff, leaking septic tanks, or poor construction
sites.
- other dangerous contaminants, like giardia, are typically removed in the
filtration process and are not an issue, and therefore are not tested for
- Chemical Contaminants: These are more common in source water and more
difficult to remove. Some of these chemicals include fluoride, copper, lead, and chlorine.
Water Quality Maps- Samantha

Table 1- Cobb County 2023 Water Report

Image 1- Map of Water of Water
Treatment Plants in Cobb County
Health Status- Brayden

- The health status of a population is based on many factors, such as reproductive health outcomes,

environmental health, cancer cases, and other diseases that members of the population might be

diagnosed with.

- Cobb county has the third biggest population in the state of Georgia, sitting at approximately 766,000

citizens.

- Having a large population makes it difficult to maintain a healthy environment; however, Cobb County

maintains a relatively healthy state compared to other counties in the state.

Health Status Part 2
-The reproductive health levels for Georgians were healthy and lined up with the national
average.

-The main health issue concerning Georgians is cancer: the second most common cause of death.

- About 54,240 Georgians are diagnosed with cancer annually, which is drastically higher than
the national average

- An environmental factor contributing to this rise could be the high smoking rate amongst
Georgians (24%)

-The dry air in Georgia from pollution could also be linked to this high rate of cancer and
respiratory disease
Action Plan
The first effort that we would like to put into place is required weekly testing for salmonella bacteria in every water treatment plant in

Cobb County. The salmonella bacteria can be exposed to residents of Cobb County through drinking contaminated water. Its infection

causes unpleasant and rarely life-threatening symptoms, such as diarrhea and a fever, and it most impacts children under five and adults

over sixty-five years old. Some ways that this toxin is removed from water is through chlorine cleaning and boiling contaminated water.

Areas near farms or sewage treatment runoff have a higher risk of having water infected with Salmonella. Salmonella causes 420 deaths

in the US per year, and it is something that could easily be prevented in municipal drinking water if it was ensured that it was not present

in the water through testing. To put this effort into action, workers at water treatment plants would need to be trained on how to test the

water for salmonella. By putting this effort into action, there would be fewer salmonella deaths and safer drinking water for Cobb

County residents.
Action Plan Part 2

The second effort that we would like to put into place is to create another water treatment plant in Cobb

County (specifically in Powder Springs). An issue that may come about from this is an excess amount of

chlorine in the water system. Chlorine levels above 40-60 ppm will cause illness, and this illness includes

vomiting, shortness of breath, and pneumonia. An at-home water filter will eliminate chlorine from the water.

Areas that are close to a water treatment plant may have an excess of chlorine in the water because chlorine is

used to treat the water. Although chlorine may be an issue, it does not create serious illness, while other

chemicals/ toxins in water can cause serious illness if not treated out of water. A higher bill for water (higher

monthly pay) may be required to pay for a new water treatment plant. The hopeful end result of this effort is

safer, less contaminated drinking water.

Sources
Advisory Council on historic preservation. ACHP. (n.d.). https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/kennesaw-georgia

Ambient Air Monitoring Program. Georgia Air Monitoring. (n.d.). https://airgeorgia.org/

Association, A. L. (n.d.). New report: Atlanta’s air quality improves, residents exposed less to unhealthy air pollution . American Lung
Association. https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/new-report-atlanta%E2%80%99s-air-quality-improves,-reside

Booth, E. (2022, April 29). Water quality in Georgia. ArcGIS StoryMaps.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/67b7b29771b842268f878b94cb7c6d69

Georgia Air Quality Index (AQI) and USA Air Pollution. IQAir. (n.d.). https://www.iqair.com/us/usa/georgia

Georgia Water Quality Standards. Environmental Protection Division. (n.d.).

https://epd.georgia.gov/watershed-protection-branch/watershed-planning-and-monitoring-program/georgia-water-quality

Hazardous waste | US EPA. (n.d.-a). https://www.epa.gov/hw

Learn the basics of hazardous waste | US EPA. (n.d.-b). https://www.epa.gov/hw/learn-basics-hazardous-waste

Our history. City of Kennesaw. (2019, May 9). https://www.kennesaw-ga.gov/our-history/

What is the state of air pollution in Georgia, USA?. Air quality in Georgia: What is the state of pollution - Airly WP | Air Quality Monitoring.
Monitor in UK & Europe. Airly Data Platform and Monitors. (n.d.). https://airly.org/en/what-is-the-state-of-air-pollution-in-georgia-usa/