Georgia Power’s Plants Wansley and Yates were recognized today for their work as an environmental steward in the community by “Rivers Alive,” Georgia’s annual volunteer waterway cleanup event group that targets all waterways in the state including streams, rivers, lakes, beaches and wetlands.  

Each year, Rivers Alive presents the Spark of Energy Award to honor organizers and volunteers from the previous year’s accomplishment. The 2019 award will be accepted on behalf of Georgia Power by Ken McBee, a senior compliance specialist at Plant Yates, who was responsible for the planning and execution of a Chattahoochee River clean-up at McIntosh Reserve Park in Carroll County. 

Last fall, he organized 25 Georgia Power employees from Plants Yates and Wansley, as well as an additional 200 members of the community, for an outdoor clean-up that totaled more than 1,500 pounds of trash collected. 

“Plant Yates and Plant Wansley are honored and excited to receive the Rivers Alive 2019 Spark of Energy Award,” said McBee. “We had a great group of dedicated volunteers that supported our river-cleanup. This successful event allowed us to give back to the community and to the environment.” 

The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia's water resources. Rivers Alive is held annually each fall and is a program of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division Outreach Program. 

The Rivers Alive 2019 Virtual Awards Ceremony opened with remarks from Rick Dunn, Director for the Environmental Protection Division, followed by comments from Katherine Zitsch, Director of Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and Manager of Natural Resources for the Atlanta Regional Commission. 

Click here to watch Ken’s acceptance video.