A total of $655,500 has been approved for restoring impaired segments of the Big Cedar Creek Watershed, located in Polk and Floyd counties.

About 90 miles of the stream have been assessed with an estimated 35 miles impaired. About 75 percent of the watershed is located in Polk, extending from Cedartown to the area known as Brushy Branch in Floyd.

The Lower Little Tallapoosa River Watershed has also been approved for $915,000. The two projects were approved for funding through Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

Both projects will address water quality issues, such as fecal coliform by providing cost share funding to agricultural and non-agricultural landowners to implement water quality practices within these watersheds.

These will include such practices as livestock exclusion from water bodies, heavy use areas, pasture planting and animal waste management.

In addition, non-agricultural practices will be funded — specifically corrective actions on failing septic systems.

Both projects will be in partnership with local environmental health departments, NRCS, Cooperative Extension and others.

The goal of the projects is to move towards delisting these stream segments from EPD’s list of streams.

Information about the watershed projects was included in a report presented to the Polk County Board of Commissioners by Cindy Haygood, coordinator, Rolling Hills Resource Conservation & Development Council (RC&D).