Header - December 2011 Newsletter
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MORE GDOT FINES! IS IT RIGHT?
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KNOW YOUR WEATHER BEFORE BREAKING GROUND! 


 
  
  
  
  
  









  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 
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Rainbow Trout w Stonefly Numph
 
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Greetings!

 

Wishing you a 

Santa in BoatMERRY CHRISTMAS!

&

A HAPPY 

NEW YEAR in 2012!

Chattahoochee River Fish Populations 

 

It's official!  Paying attention to water quality and stormwater runnoff, whether it's sediment from consruction, or pollutants from urbanization and industry, PAYS OFF BIG TIME!  
Following six years of study, biologists with DNR have concluded that brown trout are reproducing in numbers significant enough to warrant a permanent cessation of brown trout stocking in the Chattahoochee River tailrace below Buford Dam. The brown trout in the section of river between Buford and Morgan Falls dams will now be managed as a wild population. DNR will continue stockings of about 160,000 rainbow trout per year in this section.

 

DNR began stocking trout in the tailrace in 1962, and for years afterward brown trout reproduction had been rumored. In 1998, the presence of wild, young-of-the-year browns was verified. Then in 2005, DNR temporarily stopped stocking brown trout in order to gauge the extent to which the fish were reproducing. The findings of the study leave no room for doubt. In comparing results of electrofishing surveys for several years before and after the moratorium, catch rates remained stable or increased, brown trout continued to make up about 3/4 of the total trout population, and there was no shift in size structure of the brown trout population. Wild, reproducing browns are sustaining a fishery that's the same, if not better, than when they were being stocked in the river.

 

Article copied from the Goergia Outdoor News (GON) for the outdoorsman in all of us!

 

  

Georgia Department of Transportation &Money Wright Brothers Agree Pay 2.8 Million Dollars for Clean Water Act Violations!

 

Where's the common sense?

Keep in mind as you read this article that Georgia grew by almost 2 million people from 2000 to 2010, 18.3%.  According to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, the region could face a water deficit of 284 million gallons a day by 2030 without aggressive conservation measures.It takes a strong economic engine to fund clean water efforts.  Construction and industry must thrive to pay for clean water, but not at the expense of it! 
 
GDOT and it's contractors may say it's an over bearing US EPA that throws it's weight around and makes good people suffer by fining them millions of dollars for violating the clean water act regulations.  When on the other side of that fence, there are hundreds if not thousands of Georgia citizens that say, "THANK YOU" to the Clean Water Act for protecting their property and clean water rights by making GDOT and it's contractors accountable for filling up creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes.  As sayings go..... "If you make a mess in somebody else's pond, it doesn't take an environmentalist to know that you have a responsibility to clean it up without being forced to!"  In this single $2.8 million dollar case (and who know's how much in attorney fees), thousands of tons of sediment was discharged into streams and Lake Burton in North Georgia from a GDOT project. Most people reading this newsletter know that this is not the first time GDOT has violated the Clean Water Act, HOWEVER, it is the first time that beautiful Lake Burton had seen so much damage.  What's most bothersome about this case is the lack of responsibility that GDOT and their contractor have accepted about their mess.  When you read their statements about the case, I think you'll agree that unless a change of mindset occurs,  it's virtually guaranteed this won't be the end of our hard earned tax payer dollars going out for their Clean Water Act violations.  A quote from GDOT's contractor in AJCs article..... "We settled because it looked like we were going to run out of credit before the U.S. government [did]. Other than that, my grandmother told me as a young man if I had nothing nice to say ... say nothing."  One can only guess the point GDOT's contractor is trying to make here.  Maybe it's ....since the US government doesn't handle it's budget correctly, we have an excuse to trash Georgia lakes and streams until they get a handle on it. With that type of logic, someone else could just as flippantly say, until GDOT gets its act together with GESA and CWA Compliance, I'm going to drive 100 mph on Georgia highways until they get it right!  If that's their logic it just doesn't makes sense, BUT it definitely expresses the anger GDOT and it's contractors have about being held accountable for permit compliance. 

 

There's no doubt GDOT has serious challenges in complying with all the permits related to their hundreds of statewide projects. HOWEVER, a change in attitude would be a good first step to dropping the number of environmental fines!  A change of mindset about really complying with the rules and regulations designed to protect our water resources would be a welcomed site to behold!  Either way you slice it, evidence shows that GDOT has a poor reputation in this arena. I believe most Georgia citizens, and certainly those living on Lake Burton, would rather invest money conservatively up front to protect our water resources before the damage is done, rather than pay the hefty fines afterward for violations intended to TRY and restore Georgia's water resources.
 
Whether you agree or not, I welcome your thoughts and concerns on this editorial!  Please send any comments to [email protected].
CONSTRUCTION & WATER QUALITY ....American's working together for a BETTER TOMORROW!"
 
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Compliance Toolbox

 

BUILDING & RENOVATING A POND in GEORGIA    

 

 

  
  
  
  
  

 

Pesticide General Permit Now in Effect 

 

 

 

Under a court-ordered deadline, EPA published its hotly debated pesticide general permit (PGP) on October 31, 2011. Compliance with the permit is required as of that date. However, EPA has somewhat softened requirements by giving pesticide applicators until January 12, 2012, to submit their notices of intent (NOI) to be covered by the PGP. In addition, the Agency says it will focus on providing assistance in complying with permit conditions rather than on enforcement actions during the first 120 days the permit is in effect. Operators as well as pesticide applicators are not required to seek coverage under the general permit and may apply for an individual permit.
 FOR MS4 OPERATORS.....
NPDES MS4 Training

Yes...we've been asked to perform other types of stormwater training and we do ALOT!  As MS4 Training providers we felt it was good to share an annual reporting software solution to your budget challenges.  The MS4 Web program is a customizable, state of the art software that can make annual reporting much simpler and easier

 

CLICK HERE  to sign up for a FREE Webinar
 
CLICK HERE to watch a BRIEF online video.
 
You may wonder what is a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)? A MS4 is a conveyance or a system of conveyances that is owned by a state, city, town, village, military base, or other public entity (Universities) that discharges stormwater to waters of the United States.  A MS4 collects or conveys stormwater (including storm drains, pipes, ditches, etc.).   It's not a combined sewer system and is not part of a publically owned treatment works (POTW).  MS4s must report annually to the State administering the MS4 permit or the US EPA.

NC State University Soil Science LOGO

SEDIMENT, EROSION AND TURBIDITY CONTROL WORKSHOPS THROUGH DECEMBER

CLICK HERE 

 

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catching not fishing

***CONGRATULATIONS*** 

ROBERT HILL for winning the 1/2 Day Guided Fishing Trip on Lake Laner!  Stand by for pictures of a SUCCESSFUL FISHING TRIP!

 

 

Being a former Marine, and having nephews that serve in the US Marine Corp today, I'm reminded that we have thousands soldiers sacrificing their lives for our country, even as you read this newsletter.  I want to encourage you to express your gratitude and respect for those who are in the US Armed Forces ESPECIALLY during the Holidays.  Please write a letter or send a small gift to a soldier, thanking them for their willingness to serve.  Your small expression of gratitude will mean more to them than you will know!  
 
This Newsletter is intended to be a useful tool for all individuals involved stormwater management.  There is a lot happening now with water regulations that affects a diverse community of public and private entities!  If you have areas of interest you or areas of concern you would like included in this newsletter, please contact us at 678-469-5120. 
 

 

 Sincerely,
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T. Luke Owen, PG
Principal Trainer, NPDES Stormwater Training Institute