Engineering Department - Environment Engineering

Augusta
Engineering Department

Environment Engineering

Environmental Engineering Section

The Environmental Engineering Section (EES) is responsible for developing programs, implementing procedures and enforcing policies & rules that ensures Augusta-Richmond County’s continued compliance with the State and Federal Environmental Rules & Regulations that are designed to provide citizens with Clean Air, Clean Water, Healthy Lives and Productive Land. EES manages the following programs:

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) NPDES Permit Compliance
Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Compliance
Environmental Permitting & Compliance
Solid Waste Facility Long Term Environmental Compliance
Environmental Compliance In House Service
Augusta Brownfields Program

STAFF

Garrett Weiss, Environmental Engineer

MS4 PROGRAM

As a requirement of Federal Clean Water Act, Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) issued a MS4 NPDES Urban permit to the City of Augusta and a MS4 NPDES Suburban permit to Richmond County in 1995 for a five year period. A consolidated permit, Permit Number GAS000200, was reissued to Augusta-Richmond County in April 2000. The Permit primarily requires Augusta to establish a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) and a Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP). SWMP objective is to reduce Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution. NPS Pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plant, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS Pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. WQPM objective is to assess the health of various local watersheds and develop procedures to maintain water quality of Augusta’s streams.

Four Major components of Augusta SWMP are:

SWM Activity Within Drainage Basin of Impacted Water-body

Monitor Illicit Discharge from Highly Visible Pollutant Source

Monitor Pollutant from Industrial Activity

Outreach and Public Education

UST PROGRAM

The program covers:

Annual Registration of City’s Owned In-use Fuel Storage Tanks

Assessment of Environmental Impact Associated to UST Operations at the City Owned Property

Closure of UST according to EPD UST Closure requirements

ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITTING & COMPLIANCE PROGRAM

The program covers:

Renewal of NPDES Stormwater Discharges Under Industrial Activities Permit (General Permit) for Various Augusta, Georgia Facilities

On As-needed Basis, Provide Assistance to Comply with the General Permit

On As-needed Basis, Provide Assistance to Comply With Environmental Rules & Regulations

SOLID WASTE FACILITY LONG TERM COMPLIANCE PROGRAM

The program provides engineering support to:

Prepare Various Reports

Comply with Clean Air Act

Comply With Groundwater Assessment and Corrective Measures Requirements

Closure and Post-Closure Care

Seek New Permits and Modify Existing Permits

Contract and Technical Specification Document Preparation

Subtitle D Cell Construction

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE IN-HOUSE SERVICES PROGRAM

The program covers:

Assistance to Augusta, Georgia Operations other than the Public Works & Engineering Department to address various Environmental Concerns/Issues

AUGUSTA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

The program covers:

Management of Augusta Brownfields Pilot Redevelopment Program

Under this program Augusta is currently assessing the environmental impact of the former Goldberg Brothers Scrap Metal Yard located at 421 Dan Bowles Road. Funds for this activity are provided by a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Augusta, Georgia also invited the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to assist in addressing the environmental concerns associated with this former scrap yard operation. EPD is addressing the concerns by removing the material that could pose immediate threat to Public and the Environment.

EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.