Ben Emanuel
Associate Director, Water Supply
Department: Conservation
Area of Focus: Ben works to engage communities to secure sustainable water supplies through water efficiency and other low-impact water supply solutions. His work focuses on Georgia's upper Flint River basin, where he works to restore and protect healthy river flows in the Flint River through sustainable water use practices.
Background: Ben joined American Rivers in 2011. Prior to that he worked for the Altamaha Riverkeeper as its Oconee River Project Director, based in Athens, Georgia. Ben's work in the Oconee River basin included advocacy and outreach with local governments and businesses on water conservation and efficiency, watershed protection, smart land use planning and promoting river access and recreation.
In 2010, he helped spearhead a community response to a severe toxic chemical spill in Athens' Trail Creek following a fire at a local chemical plant. During his time with ARK, Ben also worked for the statewide Georgia River Network. Prior to that, he was the news editor at Athens' alternative newsweekly, Flagpole Magazine, and was part of a river study project called the Georgia River Survey.
Education: B.A. in English from the University of Georgia
Favorite River: Oconee River
Blog Posts By This Author
Our New Report on Restoring Healthy Flows in Georgia’s Upper Flint River
April 30, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Climate Change, Water Supply
April has been a busy month at American Rivers, with the release of our annual Most Endangered Rivers® list. As you may have noticed, many of the rivers spotlighted on this year’s list are there because of threats related to water quantity, which is increasingly a concern here in the Southeast. That’s the case for the Georgia’s Flint River, where low flows threaten the river’s health throughout its length from Atlanta to the Florida state line.
Read more »Anxiously Eyeing the Skies in the Sunny South
April 12, 2013 | Water Supply, Most Endangered Rivers
Here in Georgia, it’s been a cool, wet spring so far. That’s an especially good thing after drought conditions last year that were as severe here as anywhere in the country. But in my conversations with local water managers and other water-watchers lately, I’ve noticed a unanimous sentiment: the nagging worry that we’ll have another dry summer.
Read more »Challenging Assumptions - Water Demand and Population Growth
July 25, 2012 | Water Supply
Our new Money Pit report makes the argument that Southeastern communities don’t need to turn immediately to building new reservoirs in order to secure their future water supply - instead, new reservoirs should be the last option on the list.
Read more »Cautionary Tale: A Water Supply Reservoir Gone Wrong in Georgia
July 20, 2012 | Water Supply
American Rivers’ new Money Pit report shines a spotlight on recent water supply reservoir projects that have left local communities in Georgia burdened by the expense and debt from building, or trying to build, these major water infrastructure projects.
Read more »Our “Money Pit” Report on the High Cost and High Risk of Water Supply Reservoirs in the Southeast
July 10, 2012 | Water Supply
As a sizzler of a summer descends on the Southeast and prolonged drought again grips much of the region, debate over the region’s future water supply is as hot a topic as ever. In many communities, the approach to seeking future water supply is a traditional one: dam a stream and build an artificial reservoir.
Read more »