When pollution sullied Linda Smith’s childhood swimming hole on the Canoochee River more than two decades ago, she started documenting the damage with a bulky camcorder and educating herself about federal environmental protections.
At first, Smith said her family struggled to bring attention to the oozy algal blooms floating on the surface of the blackwater stream stretching across rural southeast Georgia.
“When we went to EPD to file a complaint, they said well you’re the only one complaining,” Smith said, referring to the state Environmental Protection Division.
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