Water Resources Management – Camp Juliette Low, Cloudland GA

Located on Lookout Mountain in Cloudland, Georgia, Camp Juliette Low (CJL) is a non-profit girls camp that was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1922.  The primary water supply on the mountain is groundwater.  At the time, the system included three (3) water wells that were supplying water to five units with toilets, sinks and showers as well as a swimming pool, dining hall, kitchen, and multiple buildings.  After several years of drought, it became apparent that both water quality and capacity had diminished over time.    A water resources management review was necessary in order to ensure a stable supply of potable water for the future.

Scope of Work

On a pro-bono basis, Genesis Project provided a water resource management review, followed by the implementation of a plan to upgrade the potable water supply system.  These activities included a water well evaluation to determine well dimensions, the total depth of each well, and the depth to water.  This was followed by the completion of a specific capacity test of each well.

After the water resource management review, it was determined that the current system setup would not provide the water necessary for the camp.  To optimize system operation, several recommendations were completed to the existing wells including the replacement of the submersible pumps with more efficient units and lowering the pumps, where possible, to increase the specific capacity of each well.

It was also determined that the water supply needs of the camp would not be reached with these changes alone.  As a result, a new water supply well was planned for the site.  The location was selected based on published data on the area including:

• Hydrogeologic Reports
• Topographic Maps to identify geologic features and
• Aerial photography.

Based on these resources, a general area was selected to site the well.  A site visit was then conducted to locate the exact location of the well based on local features and traditional exploration techniques.

Results

Based on the completion of this water resources management program, CJL now has a sufficient supply of potable water to supply the camp for years to come.  The costs were also a fraction of the cost of piping county water to the camp and allows the camp to remain self-sufficient in the future.