<p>More than four weeks after Hurricane Ivan passed through Gilmer County in north Georgia, its ugly impact can be seen in debris left on the Coosawattee River and Carters Lake.</p><p>Margie Cohen came across the debris when she attempted to paddle through the river on a canoe trip Sunday.</p><p>"We saw motor oils and filters," Cohen said. "We saw parts of cars. There were whole pieces of homes. It made for an unpleasant paddling experience. Then we were concerned about the wildlife. What are the fish going to do?"</p><p>The debris was washed in by floods from Ivan.</p><p>The Environmental Protection Agency hired a contractor to remove the most toxic materials from the river last month, but it will take several more months to remove the rest of the debris.</p><p>Carters Lake is a federal reservoir managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.</p><p>"We don't have anything in our budget for managing that," said park manager LuAnn Lackey, who said the corps has not received a response on a request for federal disaster assistance.</p><p>"We're waiting on the lake to go down a little," Lackey said, adding then it will be possible to pick up trash on the banks of the lake.</p><p>Gilmer County suffered some of the worst damage caused by Ivan. Floodwaters caused millions of dollars in damage to homes and public property that will take up to two years to repair.</p><p>Jim Smith, the county's disaster recovery manager, said debris is also clogging Turkey Creek, Clear Creek and the Cartecay River. The county is seeking a $1.2 million in aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to clean up the waterways.</p><p>The debris "threatens life and property downstream," Smith said. "It's not good for the waterway itself. We're concerned about it."</p><p>Teams from the EPA and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division surveyed the debris field late last month and said the trash is not an environmental concern. No fish kills have been reported.</p><p>The debris stretches about a quarter of a mile, and is 50 yards wide at the broadest part of the river. Officials used a swamp boat, propelled by a fan, to navigate through the thick trash.</p><p>The EPA's contractor removed about 30 55-gallon drums containing hazardous materials, including paint thinner, fuel oil and bleach at a cost of about $50,000, according to EPA spokeswoman Laura Niles.</p><p>EPD spokesman Kevin Chambers said Gold Kist Inc., is still collecting thousands of plastic tubs used to package chicken meet. The containers were carried away from a parking lot at the company's Ellijay poultry processing plant on the Coosawattee River.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x28648e8)</p>
