Georgia Environmental Protection Division

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Watershed Protection Branch

4220 International Parkway, Suite 101
Atlanta, GA  30354
Phone: 404.675.6232  Fax: 404.675.6247
Linda MacGregor, Branch Chief

  • Tim Cash, Assistant Branch Chief - Chattahoochee & Flint Basins
  • Becky Champion, Assistant Branch Chief - Coosa, Tallapoosa & Tennessee Basins
  • Kevin Farrell, Assistant Branch Chief - Oconee, Ocmulgee & Altamaha Basins
  • Jeff Larson, Assistant Branch Chief - Savannah & Ogeechee Basins
  • Rob McDowell, Assistant Branch Chief - Satilla, St. Marys, Suwannee & Ochlockonee Basins
DRINKING WATER COMPLIANCE PROGRAM
Phone: 404.656.4807  Fax: 404.651.9590
Brad Addison, Program Manager
  • Compliance & Enforcement Unit
    Charles Williams, Unit Manager
  • Fee Collection
    (Vacant), Fee Coordinator
  • Source Water Assessment and Protection Unit
    Don Shellenberger, Unit Manager
  • Tracking and Reporting Unit
    Doug Davenport, Unit Manager

Establish sampling schedule and track sampling results to ensure public water system compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Enforce state and federal drinking water regulations concerning microbiological, chemical, and radiological contaminants in public water systems, along with lead and copper and the Consumer Confidence Report.

Inspect and certify public water systems.

Provide technical assistance to operators and administrators of public water systems.

Issue boil water advisories.

Perform public water system vulnerability assessments.

Prepare Wellhead Protection Plans for water supply systems of Georgia's cities, counties, and authorities.

Implement Georgia's source water assessment and protection program.

Collect drinking water fees.

Obtain GPA coordinates of EPD facilities for development of GIS databases.

DRINKING WATER PERMITTING AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM
Phone: 404.656.2750  Fax: 404.651.9590
Onder Serefli, Program Manager
  • East Unit
    Kirk Chase, Unit Manager
  • West Unit
    Bill Morris, Unit Manager

Issue permits to operate public water systems.

Review and approve water conservation and cross-connection control plans from public water systems.

Approve plans and specifications, engineering reports, design development reports, and business plans for the construction of new public water systems (including source, treatment, storage and distribution system), and approve the expansion or modification of existing public water systems.

Review, rank and approve projects (including environmental review) for funding under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF).

Inspect public water systems to ensure that the water plant, distribution system and water storage facilities are properly operated and maintained.

Provide technical assistance to operators and administrators of public water systems.

Enforce the state and federal Surface Water Treatment and Disinfection Byproducts rules.

Issue boil water advisories.

ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROGRAM (WASTEWATER)
Phone: 404.675.6232  Fax: 404.675.6246
Bob Scott, Program Manager
  • Construction Management Unit
    Ken Bryan, Unit Manager
  • Information Management Unit
    Lisa Peacock, Unit Manager
  • Engineering Unit 1
    Sam Shepherd, Unit Manager
  • Engineering Unit 2
    Frances Carpenter, Unit Manager

Review and approve engineering reports, plans and specifications for wastewater treatment facilities and sewer system extensions.

Provide technical support to the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) in the administration of the State Revolving Loan Program (SRF) and other GEFA loan programs.

Review and approve Sludge Management Plans.

Review groundwater monitoring plans for spray irrigation and bisolids applications systems.

Conduct construction inspections, process change orders, pay requests and other construction management duties for SRF and GEFA funded projects.

Provide technical assistance to communities in the area of operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities.

Review operation and maintenance manuals.

FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT/MAP MODERNIZATION PROGRAM
Phone: 404.657.4497, Fax: 404.657.8379

  • Floodplain Management Unit (Map Modernization)

Collis Brown, Unit Manager

Assist local governments in understanding, implementing and maintaining compliance with criteria of the National Flood Insurance Program and provide flood maps and flood hazard data.

 

GEFA IMPLEMENTATION UNIT

Phone: 404.675.6232  Fax: 404.675.6246
(Vacant), Implementation Coordinator

Audits local governments within the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro District) to determine their compliance with Metro District plans.

Review and approve operation manuals for wastewater treatment plants.

Registers commercial waste (fat/oil/grease) haulers.

Provide guidance to commercial environmental laboratories.

 

NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM
Phone: 404.675.6240  Fax: 404.675.6245
Larry Hedges, Program Manager
  • Erosion and Sedimentation Unit
    Jan Sammons, Unit Manager
  • Outreach Unit
    Harold Harbert, Unit Manager
  • Grants Unit
    Michelle Vincent, Unit Manager
  • Storm Water Unit
    Drew Zurow, Unit Manager

Manage a statewide soil erosion and sedimentation control program.

Issue Land Disturbing Activity Permits within jurisdictions which do not have issuing authority.

Review local erosion and sedimentation control ordinances, and delegate authority to local governments for their erosion and sedimentation control programs.

Issue stream buffer variances.

Implement municipal and industrial storm water permitting programs through NPDES permits.

Issue Section 401 Water Quality Certifications.

Administer the Section 319(h) Federal grant program for nonpoint source pollution abatement projects.

Coordinate Project WET (Water Education For Teachers).

Coordinate Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program.

Coordinate Rivers Alive.

PERMITTING COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM (WASTEWATER)
Phone: 404.362.2680  Fax: 404.362.2691
Jane Hendricks, Program Manager
  • Compliance & Enforcement East Unit
    Bill Noell, Unit Manager
  • Compliance & Enforcement West Unit
    Marzieh Shahbazaz, Unit Manager
  • Industrial Wastewater Unit
    Dominic Weatherill, Unit Manager
  • Municipal Permitting Unit
    David Bullard, Unit Manager

Issue NPDES and Land Application Permits to municipal, industrial, federal water pollution control plants, and privately owned water pollution control plants.

Issue Industrial Pretreatment Permits.

Inspect, sample, and evaluate operations and permittee self-monitoring program.

Review engineering reports and technical documents for industrial facilities.

Monitor and enforce all permit compliance.

Review and audit local pretreatment programs.

Review sewer use ordinances.

Respond to citizen complaints regarding water quality problems.

Evaluate sewer connection requests (A-95) and Adequacy of Treatment Certification.

SAFE DAMS PROGRAM
Phone: 404.362.2678  Fax: 404.362.2598
Ed Fiegle, Program Manager
  • Safe Dams Unit
    Tom Woosley, Unit Manager

Inventory all existing and proposed dams over 25 feet tall or with a 100 acre-feet of storage at the top of the dam.

Reinventory existing low hazard (Category II) dams at least every five years.

Classify dams based on development within the dam failure flood zone downstream.

Approve plans and specifications for construction and repair of all high hazard (Category I) dams.

Continuously monitor Category I dams for safety.

TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM
Phone: 404.675.6232  Fax: 404.675.6247
Ted Mikalsen, Acting Program Manager

Plan, develop and implement a statewide TMDL program.

Develop TMDL outreach activities to effectively achieve TMDL reductions.

Develop a network of TMDL partners and stakeholders by watershed to promote public participation and attainment of TMDL implementation goals and objectives.

Develop and maintain sampling and geographic information on TMDL streams.

Review Watershed Assessment Plans.

WATER WITHDRAWAL PERMITTING PROGRAM
Phone: 404.675.6236  Fax: 404.675.6244
Clay Burdette, Program Manager
  • Ground Water Unit
    Bill Frechette, Unit Manager
  • Surface Water Unit
    Ade Oke, Unit Manager
  • Agricultural Permitting Unit
    Cliff Lewis, Unit Manager

Review and recommend to the EPD Director permit actions for municipal and industrial surface water and ground water withdrawal applications.

Develop, along with the Water Protection Branch, water quality and water resources river basin management plans for each river basin in Georgia.

Develop short-term and long-term water management conservation policies and strategies to address environmental problems induced by unsustainable use of Georgia's water resources.

Review and recommend to the EPD Director permit actions for agricultural surface water and ground water withdrawal applications.

Conduct Agricultural Water Auction and assure compliance with permitted agricultural water withdrawal permits.

 

WATERSHED PLANNING AND MONITORING PROGRAM
Phone: 404.675.6236  Fax: 404.675.6244
Elizabeth Booth, Program Manager

  • Ambient Monitoring Unit

Kathy Methier, Unit Manager

  • Facilities Monitoring Unit

Mike Phipps, Unit Manager

  • Intensive Surveys Unit

Jeremy Smith, Unit Manager

  • Water Quality Modeling Unit

Andy Kao, Unit Manager

  • TMDL Modeling and Development Unit

Debbie Siemon, Unit Manager

Conduct monitoring of Georgia streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries for use with wasteload allocations and to determine compliance with water quality standards.

Develop River Basin Management Plans for river basins in Georgia.

Conduct water quality modeling for wasteload allocations, water use classifications, and water quality standards in Georgia.

Collect samples of facility discharges for laboratory testing of samples.

 

WATERSHED PROTECTION BASIN ANALYSIS PROGRAM
Phone: 404.657.8282  Fax: 404.657.5002
  • Basin Analysis Unit
    Wei Zeng, Unit Manager

Provides mathematical modeling, analytical, and other technical support to Georgia's negotiators for the ACT/ACF (Alabama-Coosa-Talapoosa / Apalachacola-Chattahoochee-Flint) river basins as a part of a comprehensive study between Alabama, Florida, Georgia and the US Corps of Engineers.

Provides mathematical modeling and analyses in the development of basin-wide water resources development and conservation plans, such as the Flint River Basin Regional Development and Conservation Plan

Develops, along with the Watershed Protection Branch, water quality and water resources river basin management plans for each river basin in Georgia.

WATERSHED PROTECTION REGULATORY SUPPORT PROGRAM
Phone: 404.656.3214  Fax: 404.657.8379
Bill Smith, Program Manager

Collect samples annually from Georgia's groundwater monitoring network.

Publish annual reports on groundwater quality in Georgia.

Prepare and update wellhead protection plans, and review applications for new community wells.

Map the geology of recharge areas of major aquifers in central and southwest Georgia.

Sale of topographic, geologic and other Georgia maps and publications.

Chair EPD's Groundwater Protection Coordinating Committee.

Enforce Underground Injection Control (UIC) rules and permit UIC wells.

License water well drillers and enforce the Water Well Standards Act.

Enforce the Oil and Gas and Deep Drilling Act, and permit oil, gas, and deep wells.

Certify environmentally sensitive property sites and qualified consultants.

Review environmental planninh criteria ordinances for mountain and river corridor and ground water protection for DCA.

Advise Georgia Department of Human Resources on permit applications for non-domestic septic systems.

Advise Georgia Department of Agriculture on applications for the sale of bottled spring water in Georgia.

Review reports of and advise on characteristics of proposed rock quarry sites.

Conduct investigations for sources of pollution of community wells and aquifers supplying community wells.

Prepare reports of and provide testimony regarding source sites that contaminate or threaten public water supplies.

Develop GIS databases for EPD-regulated facilities and natural resources.

Maintain and operate drilling rigs and one crew to drill exploratory borings and construct groundwater monitoring wells.

Maintain and operate geophysical logging equipment.

Maintain a soil/rock core and cuttings repository.

Publish annual mining summaries and update lists of publications.

Publish reports and maps of special purpose studies.

 

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Georgia Environmental Protection Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 1152 East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
Telephone: 404.657.5947 or 888.373.5947 (toll-free throughout Georgia)
Copyright © 2008 by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. All rights reserved.