Georgia NPDES: What you need to know

Georgia Water Quality Control Act (WQCA): Code of Georgia Annotated (CGA) 12-5-20 to 12-5-53

Waste treatment and permit requirement applicability: Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia (GRR) 391-3-6-.06

Land disposal permits: GRR 391-3-6-.11 and GRR 391-3-6-.19

Sewage sludge (biosolids) requirements: GRR 391-3-6-.17

Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Watershed Protection Branch

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4

See ADDRESSES & CONTACTS for addresses and telephone numbers.

See national section for basic information and federal regulations.

• Rules. Georgia is authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer the federal National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, including authorization to manage state NPDES permits, general permits, and federal facilities. In contrast to federal rules, the Georgia Water Quality Control Act (WQCA) defines "waters" to include subsurface water. As a result, Georgia has NPDES permitting authority over discharges to groundwater. The state standards also include non-NPDES permit requirements, known as land application system (LAS) permits, for nonpoint source discharges.

All facilities in Georgia that generate sewage sludge from the treatment of domestic (or industrial) sewage must obtain either a NPDES permit, an LAS permit, or a local or state pretreatment permit.

• Administration and enforcement. DNR's EPD is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the NPDES permit program in Georgia.

ASSOCIATED PERMITS

Georgia also issues NPDES general ...