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FISH WITH KIDS!
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International Erosion Control Association JOIN TODAY
Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
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Greetings!
Welcome to 2014! The New Green Book is out!
Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC)
has issued the 6th Edition of the Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia, also known as the "Green Book" or "Design Manual,". It has been revised, with changes effective January 1, 2014.
Keep in mind there is 1-year TRANSITION PERIOD effective through December 31, 2014. The transition will allow individuals time to understand and begin implementing the new requirements along with allowing manufacturers time to have their Best Management Practice (BMP) products tested so they can qualify in Georgia.
Revisions include the addition of new BMPs, as well as benchmark standards for most new and existing BMPs. The benchmarks are a result of data collected from standardized testing procedures which were approved by the GSWCC and completed on randomly selected products and practices.
Click here to download the New GreenBook.
Click here to download Green Book Transition Period Guidance.
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MS4 CECI
Seminar
(MS4 Compliance & Enforcement Certified Inspector)
The December Class was a smashing success! The January 8th class is nearly full and we have slots available for February 12th!
Click Here or on the photo below, or call Rita at 678-469-5120 to reserve your spot for the MS4 COMPLIANCE & ENFORCEMENT CERTIFIED INSPECTOR course!
After taking the MS4 CECI course and passing the exam, you will receive a
1- MS4 CECI Certification Card (with your photo), and a
2- Certificate of Completion.
CONTACT US anytime if you have questions or need more information!
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QUESTION 1:
Is the discharge limit for turbidity on Georgia NPDES permitted construction sites of 25 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs) for warm water streams and 10 NTUs for cold water streams, a limit set by the federal government or by the State of Georgia? Answer: As you may already be aware, Georgia's discharge limit is extremely low and many people wonder why, including me. However, to keep this answer short and sweet, Georgia is responsible of turbidity limits established in our NPDES General Permits for construction. This however, makes them also a federal limit established only in Georgia. These limits may adjust in our next issuance of the NPDES Permit in 5 years, but for now Georgia is going to be consistent with the previously established limits. Although I've heard many rumors, If anyone knows where these discharge limits came from, I would appreciate knowing how and why the limits were set so low. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION 2:
What is an outfall, really?
After the last posting there were still some questions about outfalls so let's get a little more specific! According to page 43 of the GAG610000 Phase II NPDES General Permit, "
outfall" means the most downstream point (i.e. final discharge point) on an MS4 where it discharges to waters of the State.
This means that an outfall can absolutely be the discharge point from a culvert, as long as the culvert qualifies as the most downstream point of the MS4 that carries point source stormwater into a state water.
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CONSERVATION EDUCATION
"FOR THE OUTDOORSMAN IN ALL OF US!"
We are ON TOP of the New Regulations
2014 EROSION AND MS4 TRAINING COURSES ARE UPDATED TO GEORGIA NPDES PERMITS AND STATE WATER REGULATIONS!
Click Here for
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If You FORGOT TO SUBMIT YOUR NOI's BY DECEMBER 24th!
Get on the stick and get'm submitted. Ignorance is not bliss anymore. For sites where construction activities, subject to the NPDES General Permits, occurred on or before the effective date, September 24, 2013, of the new NPDES General Permits and the permittees did not submit a valid Notice of Termination prior to September 24, 2013 - the permittees must submit a Re-Issuance Notice of Intent for an existing construction site no later than 90 days after the effective date of the new NPDES General Permits.
IF YOU FORGOT to comply with this requirement, first contact your EPD District Office (found in the instructions for each of the NOI's and/or Appendix A of each NPDES General Permit.
It's likely that the permittee will have to:
1) Submit an Initial NOI (new form) for a new construction site,
2) Prepare and submit a NEW ES&PC Plan, and
3) Pay ALL applicable fees for a new project.
CLICK ON THE PIC or the LINKS below for the appropriate NOI form (either for a Primary, Secondary or Tertiary Permitee).
Copies of the new NOI forms are also available at www.erosiontraining.com, or
www.npdestraining.com
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We serve LUNCH for ALL initial courses! This is included in your registration fee, and we did not raise our prices.
- Attendees receive a FREE FIELD MANUAL & NPDES updated information at all initial classroom trainings.
- SATURDAY Level 1A Fundamentals & Level 1A/1B and Level II Re-cert courses will resume in February 2014 in Norcross!
If you have special requests, We Listen!
678-469-5120
rita@erosiontraining.com
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Energy Company to Pay $3.2 Million Penalty to Resolve Clean Water Violations in West Virginia
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice announced that Chesapeake Energy, the nation's second
largest natural gas producer, will spend an EPA-estimated $6.5 million to restore 27 sites damaged by unauthorized discharges of fill material into streams and wetlands and to implement a comprehensive plan to comply with federal and state water protection laws at the company's natural gas extraction sites in West Virginia, many of which involve hydraulic fracturing operations.The company will also pay a civil penalty of $3.2 million, one of the largest ever levied by the federal government for violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA), under the Section 404 program, which requires a federal permit prior to the discharge of dredge or fill material materials into wetlands, rivers, streams, and other waters of the United States.
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Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to Filling Protected Wetlands
William R. "Rusty" Miller, a real estate developer from Fairhope, Ala., pleaded guilty in federal district court in Gulfport, Miss., to the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Miss., in violation of the Clean Water Act. Miller, admitted to having caused the excavation and filling of wetlands on a 1,710 acre parcel of undeveloped property in Hancock County, west of the intersection of Route 603 and Interstate 10. The charging document alleges that in 2001 when Miller and his companies acquired the property, he was informed by a wetland expert that as much as 80 percent of the land was federally protected wetland connected by streams and bayous to the Gulf of Mexico and as such could not be developed without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Miller is subject to imprisonment of up to three years and a penalty of not more than $250,000. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled on March 17, 2014.
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PROPOSED ORDERS: Under authority of the Water Quality Control Act (including Surface Water Allocation) :
Facility:
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City of Lakeland water pollution control plant
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Location:
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Lanier County
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Order Number:
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EPD-WQ-SDO-13-006
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Violations of NPDES Permit/exceeded Permit limitations
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Requirement(s) of Order:
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Correct immediately
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Settlement Amount:
| $520.00 |
Date Notice Posted:
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December 16, 2013
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Comment Period Closes:
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January 15, 2014
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Send Comments To:
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Ms. Mary Sheffield, Manager/Southwest District
Environmental Protection Division
2024 Newton Road
Albany, Georgia 31701-3576
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Facility:
| City of Wadley water pollution control plant |
Location:
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Jefferson County
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Order Number:
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EPD-WQ-5783
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Cause of Order:
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Failure to gain compliance with NPDES Permit and Rules for Water Quality Control through CO #EPD-WQ-5046 including effluent structure maintenance, lift station maintenance & facility upgrade
| Requirement(s) of Order: |
Immediately maintain, as required, waste stabilization pond to ensure it remains clear of floating solids, algae; repair existing effluent structure or replace effluent structure, maintaining/operating structure in good order; maintain calibration on secondary flow-measuring device on structure at treatment pond; make necessary modifications to MLK lift station and submit funding application for lift station replacement and all of I&I work; submit proper plans/schedules of proposed I&I project, completing work by September 1, 2015; if there are still Permit exceedances after work completion, city shall have consulting engineer to submit waste load alocation for Land Application System Permit, providing plan; consultant shall submit new Operations/Maintenance Manual; stipulated penalties
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Settlement Amount:
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$5000.00
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Date Notice Posted:
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December 16, 2013
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Comment Period Closes:
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January 15, 2014
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Send Comments To:
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Mr. Don McCarty-Manage/Northeast District
Environmental Protection Division
745 Gaines School Road
Athens, Georgia 30605
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Facility:
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Honda Precision Parts of Georgia/Tallapposa; order issued to Mr. Mark Nelson
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Location:
| Haralson County |
Order Number:
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EPD-WQ-MDO-13-041
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Cause of Order:
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Violations of NPDES Permit /exceeded Permit limitations
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Requirement(s) of Order:
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Correct immediately
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Settlement Amount:
| $250.00 |
Date Notice Posted:
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December 16, 2013
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Comment Period Closes:
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January 15, 2014
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Send Comments To:
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Dr. Bert Langley-Manager/Mountain District
Environmental Protection Division
Post Office Box 3250
Cartersville, Georgia 30120
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- 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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We are here to Help YOU!
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 an EPA Compliant Hanna Turbidimeter. We can also help even if it's just answering a question or two.
Contact us anytime at 678-469-5120 or [email protected]
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DAMS ON THE CHATTAHOOCHEE City Mills Dam
NOW THERE IS WHITE WATER RAFTING ON THE HOOCHE
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Built by the City Mills Company in 1907. The dam crosses the river at 18th Street in the city of Columbus.
Thousands of dams were built in the United States during the last few centuries for water diversion, agriculture, factory watermills, and other purposes that are no longer useful to modern society. Many of these dams also caused ecological
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damage. Two such unused or uneconomical dams can be found on the Chattahoochee River: the Eagle and Phenix Dam and the City Mills Dam in Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama. CH2M HILL worked with the Mobile District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to breach the two dams by providing engineering design and environmental services. The City Mills dam on the Lower Chattahoochee that separates Columbus, Georgia from Phenix City, Alabama was blasted to remove the final major encumbrance to the river restoration.
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HERE's TO A PROSPEROUS 2014!
TIGHT LINES and GOOD TIMES!!!
"In Clean Abundant Water"
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 we try to remind people! It's important that we sacrifice a little to give our future generations an equally great place to work, live, fish, hunt, and play.
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
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