Order Your Field Manual Today!
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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!
Anyone have a snow gauge to replace my rain gauge? Of course I'm being funny, but holy cow....two snow storms in the first month and a half of 2014, in Atlanta! Pretty crazy!!!
 So while we're in the midst of unusual snow conditions in Georgia, some people have been calling and asking questions about what the NPDES permit says about site inspections and water sampling on their construction sites.
The short answer is "Nothing, the permit says nothing about snow inspections"! Keep in mind however, that although site inspections are not required regardless of how many inches of snow there is, snow melt will definitely impact your construction site and may very well be a huge geotechnical issue with slope stability and sediment runoff if any amount of sediment enters a state water.
Remember, an increase in turbidity of a state water represents a violation of the water quality laws in Georgia. Snow melt can
be deceiving in that it doesn't cause an initial flood wiping out roads and culverts, however once the sun comes out, snow melt can over saturate soils, causing slope failure and then potential flooding.
There is definitely a potential that slopes will fail on your site, depending on the soil type and topography. Having lived in Colorado for a good part of my life, I've seen plenty of this type of erosion! So, be mindful of the down hill consequences of slope failure and remember that
snow melt not only over saturates soils, but that it can carry a lot of sediment too!
If you want to stay on top of your compliance efforts, be proactive and perform a site inspection of your best management practices (BMPs) in a timely fashion. Investigate potential impacts from over saturated soils, and areas that may be avenues for snow melt runoff into adjacent state waters. Of course, don't forget to properly complete your inspection records and even attach a few pics to record your extra effort. Be eager to show your "intent to comply"!
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 MS4 CECI
Seminar
(MS4 Compliance & Enforcement Certified Inspector)
Well, thanks to mother nature we've all had to adjust our schedules and so our class originally scheduled for February 12th has moved to February 25th! 
Click Here or on the photo below, or call Rita at 678-469-5120 to reserve your spot for the MS4 CECI course!
If you want to know how to conduct a site inspection as an MS4 Inspector, take our class! You'll be glad you did, or your money back! After taking the MS4 CECI course and passing the exam, you will receive a:
1- MS4 CECI Certification Card (with your photo), and 2 - Certificate of Completion. CONTACT US anytime if you have questions or need more information! |
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QUESTION 1:
How can I get a hard copy of the Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia (the Green Book)?
Answer:
The NPDES Training Institute has posted the new Green Book
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at www.npdestraining.com for easy FREE download, and/or you can buy a hard copy for $45.00 by clicking the Green Book cover (right).
Keep in mind that the Green Book IS NOT the FIELD MANUAL and the new FIELD MANUAL has not been published yet. Once the GSWCC issues the electronic formatted new Field Manual, we will provide a free hard copy in all of our initial certification courses.
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QUESTION 2:
How Important is documentation when it comes to proving
compliance on a construction site.
Answer:
DOCUMENTATION, DOCUMENTATION, DOCUMENTATION
 Let's just say this, "If a permit says you need to do it and you don't, then you're eventually going to pay a fine". Over the years, the number one issue and/or complaint coming from regulatory (i.e. US EPA and Georgia EPD) inspectors, is the lack of documentation from permittees that proves they made efforts to comply with their NPDES and/or GESA compliance regulations.
Let's put it this way, if you are trying to stay in compliance with your permit, then a major component of your compliance effort is to document and keep on site your most current Erosion, Sedimentation & Pollution Control (ES&PC)
Plan well as your site inspection and maintenance records of the best management practices authorized on site. Your Level 1A course book has the forms!
So, if you are making the effort to perform daily, weekly, 1/2 inch rain, monthly inspections and water sampling correctly, then you should also be documenting your inspections and water sampling activities and keeping those record "readily available" just in case the regulatory inspector shows up and asks for proof that you're in compliance. Laziness with documentation will catch up with you and can only hurt you in the end.
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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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DID YOU KNOW!
While the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
 (NPDES) permit program is directly responsible for recovering America's highly polluted surface waters so we can fish, swim, and boat without getting sick; there are serious efforts by small groups of people to use the same regulations in a way that would remove our privilege of using our surface waters for fishing, swimming and/or boating. Like anything else, we always need good, truthful scientific studies to either support water quality regulation or remove the potential of over regulation which erodes our quality of life!
KEEP AMERICA FISHING is an organization dedicated to protecting our natural resources WHILE allowing American's the privilege of enjoying them. It's time to SPEAK UP and urge Congress to Advance Bipartisan Legislation to Benefit Fisheries Conservation and Access! Please urge your Senators to cosponsor the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014. The legislation includes twelve provisions benefiting sportsmen and sportswomen, some of these are:
- Making Public Lands Public Act - Increases access for angling,
 hunting and recreational shooting on federal lands by directing 1.5 percent of the Land and Water Conservation Fund to ensure access to fishing, hunting and other recreational activities.
- The Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection
 Act - Recent, ongoing attempts to overregulate sportfishing equipment in a non-scientific fashion by anti-fishing interests represent one of the largest threats to the sport. This section will block attempts to federally ban lead in recreational fishing equipment and ammunition by clarifying the Toxic Substances Control Act.
- The Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage Opportunities Act - Directs U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of
 Land Management managers to facilitate recreational fishing and hunting on public lands and waters and to evaluate how these traditional outdoor activities will be impacted by federal and state regulations, management plans or land use initiatives.
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While receiving practical and motivational training in the field of erosion and sediment control:
- Attendees receive a FREE FIELD MANUAL & NPDES updated information at all initial classroom trainings. ***REMEMBER the NEW Field Manual is NOT OUT, but when it is, you'll be the first to know!
- 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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WE GUARANTEE OUR TRAINING and DO NOT CHARGE YOU FOR A RETEST, IF YOU RETURN!
- Want some feedback from our past students? Read reviews from our "Raving Fans"
- ONLINE OSHA COURSES FOR CONSTRUCTION (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 info@npdestraining.com
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DAMS ON THE CHATTAHOOCHEE
EAGLE and PHENIX MILLs DAM
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 
damage. Two such unused or uneconomical dams can be found on the Chattahoochee River: the Eagle and Phenix Dam and the City Mills Dam (featured in January's NPDES Training Newsletter) 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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CLEAN WATER VIOLATIONS
IS YOUR TAP WATER , CLEAN or
DIRTY?!
When I was an active United States Marine I served overseas in Asia. While there, I drank water from the faucet inside a building where I assumed the water was treated for drinking water, like in America. However, I learned quickly I was wrong! Soon after drinking the tap water, I developed stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea and dehydration. I had to be medically treated to get over the bugs that entered me through the local drinking water system and attacked me from the inside.
Today, in the United states we think our drinking water is protected and always clean because of the Safe Drinking Water Act, however there are those who continue to provide water in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act and potentially contaminate the people they serve.
Below, are a few examples of small fines levied against those who provide drinking water but don't follow our nations proven method of assuring that the water coming out of our tap is clean enough to drink.
 Under authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act:
| Facility: | Forest Ridge Subdivision public water system; order issued to Mr. Gary Cooper | | Location: | Thomas County | | Order Number: | EPD-WS-2992 | | Date of Issue: | January 21,2014 | | Cause of Order: | Violations of Permit to Operate a Public Water System/including failure to provide certified water treatment plant operator; failure to properly monitor, or provide public notice, poor recordkeeping | | Requirement(s) of Order: | Immediately implement corrective action plan according to schedule and complete, as required; begin monthly monitoring for coliform bacteria and program to comply with microbiological maximum contaminant level for coliform bacteria at water system; provide public notification for failure to monitor, as required; provide certification to EPD, for ea public notification | |
Settlement Amount:
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$1,160.00
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| Facility: | Glade Marina Well # 1 water system; order issued to Mr. Chance Lannom | | Location: | Bartow County | | Order Number: | EPD-WS-2973 | | Date of Issue: | January 21,2014 | | Cause of Order: | Violations of Permit to Operate a Public Water System/failure to apply for Permit transfer within 30 days of receiving title to property; new unapproved well source for drinking water | | Requirement(s) of Order: | Submit complete/detailed Application For a Permit to Operate a Public Water System; provide technical drawings for all new componente of system, including changes/upgrades; submit the following, to include: well data sheet for each well certified by licensed contractor, 2)documentation that pyscical and chemical screening of raw water is performed using appropriate parameters and analysis(from appropriate lab) results sent to EPD, 3)raw water sample will be submitted, as required, for microbiological analysis, providing results to EPD, 4)proof of ownership and appropriate certified operator; obtain Permit for system within 12 months of execution date of this order | |
Settlement Amount:
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$3,500.00
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| Facility: | Southern Pines Mobile Home Village public water system; order issued to Ms. Linda Cagle | | Location: | Glynn County | | Order Number: | EPD-WS-2993 | | Date of Issue: | January 21,2014 | | Cause of Order: | Violations of Permit to Operate a Public Water System/failure to retain properly certified water system operator; failure to monitor | | Requirement(s) of Order: | Secure services of, at minimum, Class IV Water Treatment Plant Operator, providing EPD with documentation proof/contact information of hiring; complete public notification for failure to monitor, submitting notifiction proof to EPD; prepare Consumer Confidence Reports for years' 2011 and 2012; distribute to residents with copies and proof of distribution to EPD, as required; begin submitting Daily Operating Reports each month according to Rules for Safe Drinking Water | |
Settlement Amount:
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$2,000.00
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TIGHT LINES and GOOD TIMES!!!
 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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