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JOIN TODAY!
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!
"A man convinced against his will
is of the same opinion still."
Just because someone pays a fine for violating a permit, doesn't mean he/she has learned that sediment in water is a pollutant or that it's filling up our limited water resources. The hard earned investment a builder puts into designing, installing and maintaining his/her BMPs should be money well spent. It's a shame to see good money spent on poorly installed or maintained BMPs, and a bigger shame to see people pay fines when they thought they were "OK".
At the NPDES Training Institute we are here to help. We can set you up, so you can perform your own inspections and water sampling, or we can do them for you. We can give you a killer deal on turbidimeters (call for your $50 discount), or we can help you learn how to do your own site inspections. We can help even if it's just answering a question or two. Contact us anytime at info@npdestraining.com or by phone at 678-469-5120. We will most likely know the answer, but if we don't, we won't leave you hanging and will help find it for you. We are always here to help!
In the attached 10-minute video, we follow the rain after it hits the ground and flows down the numerous sub-watersheds to the Chattahoochee River. If you have time, please take a few minutes out of your busy schedule to watch it and possibly share it with your family and friends. Thank you!
 | | WHAT IS A WATERSHED, REALLY? |
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UPDATE
NPDES GENERAL PERMITs GAR100001, GAR100002, and GAR10003 for CONSTRUCTION
The stakeholders meetings with the Georgia EPD are now complete and the first ROUGH draft of the permits are in for final review by the "Powers At Be". Once, the permits are final, this newsletter will provide them for your viewing pleasure.
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CLEAN WATER LAW ENFORCEMENT
GEORGIA EPD
| Facility: | City of Fayetteville sewer system | | Location: | Fayette County | | Order Number: | EPD-WRP-13-003 | | Date of Issue: | June 05,2013 | | Cause of Order: | Unpermitted discharge to unnamed tributary of Murphy Creek | | Requirement(s) of Order: | Correct immediately | | Settlement Amount: | $1000.00 |
| Facility: | Cherokee County sewer system | | Location: | Cherokee County | | Order Number: | EPD-WQ-MDO-13-011 | | Date of Issue: | June 03,2013 | | Cause of Order: | Unpermitted discharge to waters of the state | | Requirement(s) of Order: | Correct immediately | | Settlement Amount: | $750.00 |
| Facility: | City of Tallapoosa water pollution control plant | | Location: | Haralson County | | Order Number: | EPD-WQ-MDO-13-010 | | Date of Issue: | June 03,2013 | | Cause of Order: | Violations of NPDES Permit/exceeded Permit limitations | | Requirement(s) of Order: | Correct immediately | | Settlement Amount: | $500.00 |
| Facility: | Scotland Pond water pollution control plant; order issued to City of Scotland | | Location: | Telfair County | | Order Number: | EPD-WQ-SDO-13-002 | | Date of Issue: | June 03,2013 | | Cause of Order: | Violations of Rules for Underground Storage Tank Management/exceeded effluent discharge limits | | Requirement(s) of Order: | Correct immediately | | Settlement Amount: | $355.75 |
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Do NPDES General Permits Shield
Wastewater Dischargers......?
Marten Law
An appeal  before the Sixth Circuit, Sierra Club v. ICG Hazard, addresses whether an entity in compliance with a general permit under the Clean Water Act's NPDES program may yet be subject to a citizen suit or enforcement action for discharges of any pollutants that are not explicitly covered by the permit. The district court rejected this argument in the proceedings below, holding that the "permit shield" in the NPDES provisions protected the defendant surface coal mining company from a CWA claim related to selenium discharges that were not explicitly covered by the NPDES general permit. A reversal on appeal could impact permits nationwide.
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"American's Working Together for WATER QUALITY!"
Click Here for
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Must know's about our training!
- We GUARANTEE our Training! If you don't pass a test when you train with us, you will not pay to re-test!
- You will receive a FREE FIELD MANUAL with EVERY registration! This is a $20 value, and is MUST HAVE in the field. Sign up today for any level 1A, 1B, Level II or any re-cert class and get your Field Manual on the day of training REGISTER HERE
- We now offer training in Gainesville, Athens, Lawrenceville, Tifton and Cumming in addition to our other training locations. Be sure to check out our SCHEDULE OF COURSES for all of our training locations! REGISTER HERE
- We offer PRIVATE COURSES upon request at your location! These are often the same price or reduced price from our regular training! Call today to discuss your training needs. 678-469-5120 or email us at info@npdestraining.com.
- We offer ONLINE RECERTIFICATION training for all levels that can be done from the comfort of your home or office - 24 hours a day! Here are some Frequently Asked Questions about the online re-cert training. Visit www.geologiconline.com to sign up for an online recert class, or call us with any questions at 678-469-5120
- Want some feedback from our past students? Read reviews from our "Raving Fans"
- DON't FORGET ABOUT OUR ONLINE COURSES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY to name a few:
- Hazard Communication
- Heat Stress
- Lockout-Tagout Awareness
- Hearing Protection
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
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DAMS ON THE CHATTAHOOCHEE
WEST POINT LAKE
 The construction of West Point Dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1962. The Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps (ACOE) of Engineers had the design, land acquisition, and construction responsibility. Construction began in the mid-1960's and was completed in 1975, taking about ten years. ACOE authorized the project for flood control, hydroelectric power, navigation, fish and wildlife development and general recreation. by deep forests and rolling fields, West Point Lake extends roughly 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama-Georgia state line.
West Point Dam controls flooding of the river by managing seasonal variations in water flow. The project provides water storage for navigation on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Waterway, running 260 river miles from Apalachicola, Florida to Columbus, Georgia. The powerhouse's three generators produce enough power yearly to serve 24,000 homes.
Fishing is probably the most popular activity on West Point Lake. A dozen creeks and more than 40 square miles of lake provide plenty of good fishing spots. The lake abounds with bass, catfish, crappie and bream. Bank fishing is excellent at many locations, including public fishing piers at Hardley Creek Park, Rocky Point Park, and McGee Bridge Park. All of the piers provide access for persons with disabilities. |
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MS4 TRAINING for
PHASE II Municipalities
We also help you with your reporting. We have teamed with CBI, the nations premier MS4 Reporting Software. Are you having a difficult time organizing all of those records and submitting that Annual Report to you state environmental agency? 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 programs are customizable state of the art software that can make annual reporting less expensive, much simpler, and a lot easier!
CONTACT US if you want to be MS4 certified and/or need more information about our highly rated training and MS4 reporting software!
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NPDES PERMITS for VESSELS
EPA has released a final permit covering vessel discharges under the Clean Water Act (CWA) that for the first time sets numeric effluent limits for ballast water discharges from large commercial vessels. The new Vessel General Permit (VGP) will replace the current VGP when it expires in December 2013. The most significant change in the new permit is the inclusion of numeric effluent limits to control the release of invasive species in ballast water.
Ballast water is water that a vessel takes in and/or releases to compensate for changes in the vessel's weight as cargo is loaded or unloaded, or as fuel and supplies are consumed. a vessel travels, it can inadvertently bring on board aquatic organisms in ballast water from one port and later release those same organisms at another port, where they are not native and can cause environmental harm. The zebra mussel is a prominent example of an invasive species whose inadvertent introduction to U.S. waters has caused unintended harm. In the Pacific Northwest, fish and wildlife agencies are particularly concerned about the introduction of invasive aquatic species such as smooth cordgrass, oyster drill, European green crabs, non-native tunicates, and zebra mussels, all of which take passage in ballast water.
In addition to setting numeric limits, the new VGP imposes new requirements relating commercial fishing vessels at the end of 2014.
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 It's important that we sacrifice a little to give our future generations an equally great place to work, live, fish, hunt, and enjoy. Before the Clean Water Act was passed, sediment, sewage, and chemicals caused America's rivers, like the Chattahoochee River, to be void of fish. As Americans, we cannot take our eyes off of the importance of water quality. Respecting our neighbors downstream is what the Clean Water Act is all about!
There is a lot happening today with water regulations that affect 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 President/Principal Trainer and Consultant NPDES Stormwater Training Institute |
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