Columbus residents now have a new ally in the fight against water pollution at Cooper Creek Park, where the first floating trash trap wetland in North America was just installed.
🌊 Why It Matters: This innovative system will catch trash before it flows downstream into the Chattahoochee River, keeping local waterways cleaner for everyone who enjoys them. The floating wetland also creates a natural habitat that improves water quality and supports local wildlife.
🌱 What’s Happening: The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper partnered with Australian company Atlan Stormwater to install the floating device, which serves as both a trash trap and a home for 27 different native plant species.
🌿 Green Details: The wetland features native plants including Swamp Milkweed, Blue Eryngo, and Scarlet Hibiscus. These plants will help filter pollutants from the water while creating a mini-ecosystem in Cooper Creek.
🔬 Research Impact: Students from Columbus State University will study the long-term effects of the wetland on Cooper Creek’s health, providing valuable data on how these systems can protect our waterways.
🤝 Community Support: The project came together thanks to support from Arcadis North America and Nemophily Natives, who provided the plants. The Atlan team traveled all the way from Queensland, Australia to help install the system.
⚠️ Visitor Note: While the public is welcome to view the new installation at Cooper Creek Park, visitors are asked not to touch the device to ensure it works properly.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
