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KNOW YOUR WEATHER BEFORE BREAKING GROUND!
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NPDES + WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
International Erosion Control Association JOIN TODAY
Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
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Greetings!
 Has sediment pouring off a school construction project damaged your property? According to the number of phone calls we receive, there are more than a few Georgia residents who have incurred property damage, as a result of sediment filling their pond or being deposited onto their property, from school construction stormwater runoff. Some residents are being told by Local Issuing Authorities (LIAs), that "School construction is exempt from complying with land disturbing activity (LDA) permits" and therefore, there is nothing they can do to help them.
 So here's the question..... Are school construction projects EXEMPT like GDOT from the state law that requires compliance with local LDA Permits, ES&PC Plan reviews, and local enforcement Inspections? The answer is "No". Public School construction is not exempt from the state law, otherwise known as the Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (GESA). Public school construction is required to follow the same local permit as a commercial development. Also, since school projects are typically one-acre or more, coverage under the NPDES General Permit is also required. In other words, the daily, weekly, monthly inspections, water sampling and ES&PC Plan Review requirements must also be enforced by the LIA, per the requirements found in the Model Local Ordinance, Page 7, Paragraph C.
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Suit Seeks National Numeric Criteria for Nutrients in U.S. Waters
A pending lawsuit filed by nearly a dozen environmental groups seeks to force EPA to establish numeric nutrient criteria for U.S. waters.
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High nutrient loadings can deplete oxygen in the water and cause fish injury, algae blooms and other environmental damage. To date, nutrient standards have been largely left to the states. The suit seeks to require EPA to set nutrient criteria or, in the alternative, to set criteria for nearly the entirety of the Midwest, along with total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for the Mississippi River, its tributaries, and portions of the Gulf of Mexico. The complaint, in Gulf Restoration Network v. Jackson, stem s from EPA's denial of a rulemaking petition seeking similar relief nearly four years ago. The plaintiffs allege that EPA's denial fails to provide a reasoned basis for EPA's decision not to use its authority under Section 303 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
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CONSTRUCTION & NPDES COMPLIANCE
American's Working Together for WATER QUALITY!"
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VIOLATIONS
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Facility: |
River Mill Subdivision(Phase 1); order issued to River Mill Development Partners, L.L.C. | |
Location: |
Troup County | |
Order Number: |
EPD-WQ-5374 | |
Date of Issue: |
April 17,2012 | |
Cause of Order: |
Violations of General NPDES Permit for Storm Water Discharges/failure to maintain erosion and sediment controls or conduct routine inspections | |
Requirement(s) of Order: |
Perform all maintenance according to Permit | |
Settlement Amount: |
$3000.00 |
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Holcim (US), Inc. Agrees to Pay $36,500 Penalty for Clean Water Act Violations
EPA alleges that Holcim had unauthorized ground water discharges at the facility, failed to comply with sampling requirements, failed to comply with inspection requirements, and failed to develop an adequate stormwater management plan for its operations, in violation of its permit and the Clean Water Act. As a result, Holcim has agreed to pay a penalty of $36,500.
"Pollutants from industrial activities are a major water quality issue in our Nation's waterways," said Mike Gaydosh, EPA's Enforcement Director in Denver. "It is the responsibility of businesses to ensure that they have the proper permits in place to conduct business and that they are operating in compliance with those permits."
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Baby Diapers in the stormwater..Yech! Need some ome help understanding MS4? Have a difficult time organizing all of those records?  Not only do we provide MS4 Training for Cities, Counties, DOTs and Universities, we also get you connected with a cost effective solution for your MS4 Annual Reporting Requirements! The MS4 Web and Desktop program is a customizable, state of the art software that can make annual reporting less expensive, much simpler, and a lot easier!
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, and that's where we can help! Call us at 678-469-5120 and ask for Luke. |
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GEORGIAs EROSION SEDIMENTATION & PLAN REVIEW CHECKLIST REQUIREMENTS!
 We are still receiving a lot of calls regarding the memo sent out April from the GSWCC and EPD. Keep in mind the memo DID NOT announce any changes, but simply CLARIFIED existing requirements in our state law. So at the risk of being overly redundant, here ya go again!
Checklist Requirements for Projects Less Than One Acre Not Part of a Common Development but Within 200 Feet of Perennial State Waters (O.C.G.A. 12-7-17(8)).
 If the subject project is less than one acre and not part of a common development, but within 200 feet of any perennial State waters, a local Land Disturbing Activity (LDA) permit and an Erosion, Sedimentation and Pollution Control (ES&PC) Plan are required (O.C.G.A. 12-7-17(8)). Applications for a local Land Disturbing Activity permit and copies of the ES&PC Plan must be submitted to the Local Issuing Authority for review and approval or disapproval.
O.C.G.A. 12-7-17(8) is not applicable if the land disturbing activity is the construction of a single-family
 | | Suwanee CreekGwinnett County, Georgia |
residence that is not part of a common development, is less than one acre, and is not within 200 feet of a Perennial State Water. If the these conditions exist then a local Land Disturbing Activity permit is not required (O.C.G.A. 12-7-17(4)); however, the minimum requirements of O.C.G.A. 12-7-6 are applicable (e.g., ES&PC Plan and State-mandated buffers) and must be enforced by the Local Issuing Authorities.
ES&PC Plans must be prepared in accordance with the appropriate ES&PC checklist released by the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC) each calendar year; however, not all items on the checklist are required for the subject projects.
For "STAND ALONE" construction projects that are less than one acre and not part of a common development or sale, but within 200 feet of any perennial State waters, the following checklist requirements are not applicable: 10, 14, 18,19, 20, 23, 27, 28, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37 and 40 - 48.
For "INFRASTRUCTURE" construction projects that are less than one acre and not part of a common development or sale, but within 200 feet of any perennial State waters, the following checklist requirements are not applicable: 13, 17, 18, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35 and 38 - 46.
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 Get involved and learn the truth about environmental quality! We're able to catch fish and hunt in this country because of our investment into water quality! It's important that we are active and we sacrifice a little to give our future generations a great place to live, fish, hunt and enjoy. Today, it's sometimes difficult to make sense out of the politics that heavily influence our environmenal protection laws? However, a couple of things are for sure. It's important that industry is profitable in the United States to provide jobs and income for a comfortable life style (that's an important part of what makes America Great!). However, it's just as important that the effluent discharges from manufacturing and construction are compliant with the rules that are there to protect our water, air and land resources.
 | | www.npdestraining.com |
Before the Clean Water Act was passed, sediment, sewage, and chemicals caused many rivers like the Chattahoochee River to be void of fish. Stress on our rivers is still going on today as evidenced by last years fish kill of approximately 38,000 fish on the Ogeechee River in south Georgia. As Americans, we cannot take our eyes off of the importance of water quality! The Clean Water Act if properly enforced will continue to be the key to our nations healthy economy and environment!
This Newsletter is intended to be a useful tool for all individuals involved land disturbing activities and 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 that you would like included in this newsletter, please contact us at 678-469-5120.
Sincerely,  
T. Luke Owen, PG
Principal Trainer, NPDES Stormwater Training Institute
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