The METRO ATLANTA
POPULATION EXPLOSION
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THE IMPACT ON AVAILABLE CLEAN WATER
Population growth produces jobs in the construction sector which is good economically but we cannot forget the challenges we must face with the massive growth coming back to join us in Georgia. Water quality challenges that are born from the removal of forests, construction related sediment in stormwater runoff, and the addition of hard impervious surfaces that adds volume & velocity of stormwater, is a big problem for Georgia. Yes, along with a recovering economy in one of the nations fastest growing states (Georgia), water volume and water quality challenges are multiplied at the same time and must be taken seriously if Georgia is to hold on to a strong growing economy instead of one where people choose to leave for greener pastures because of water resource issues.
A good hard look at Atlanta's Regional Commission (ARC) rundown on our population growth is important to know. The attached article explores ARC's annual population estimates for 2014 to assess how we are recovering from the slowdown experienced during the Great Recession.
Here are some of the key findings:
- Between April 1, 2013 and April 1, 2014, the 10-county Atlanta region added 52,700 new residents, the largest single-year growth since the Great Recession.
- Fulton County added the most new residents last year, up 12,700 new residents, followed by Gwinnett (+11,900), Cobb (+9,600) and DeKalb (+6,300).
- Between 2010 and 2014, the region averaged 41,000 new residents each year. But between 1990 and 2010, the region averaged 77,000 new residents.
MORE for ARCs Report!
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WESTERN US DROUGHT is a Good Reminder of Georgia's Drought Just a few Years Ago
As California closes out its eighth month of a drought State of Emergency, effects of the water shortage are being felt across the state. Hundreds of residents in rural San Joaquin Valley have become the first Californians to run out of tap water as dwindling flows from the Tule River have caused their wells to dry up. The Marines' Camp Pendleton has increased it's recycled water production by 50 percent, and more than 4,000 wildfires have burned more than 80,000 acres since January 1. Even the mountains are moving- without water to weigh them down, some parts of California's mountains have moved upward more than half an inch.
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MS4 Permittees
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WATERS of the US
The U.S. EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have released a proposed rule that would amend the existing definition of "Waters of the United States". The proposed rule would alter permitting programs under the Clean Water Act that regulate dredging, filling and stormwater discharges, and it would expand other regulatory obligations.
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and 11 other groups active in the real estate development, construction, and management fields called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to categorically exclude municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) from being considered "waters of the U.S." (WOTUS) in official comments submitted to the agencies' proposed rulemaking.
Public Comment Period Ends October 20th!
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OCTOBER 22, 2014
TIME TO REGISTER for this GREAT EVENT!
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WONDERING ABOUT ONLINE RENEWAL INSTEAD OF CLASSROOM?
LEVEL 1A, LEVEL 1B and LEVEL II
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Which Water Would You Prefer to Swim or Fish?
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