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Clean Water:
Georgia Water Quality Control Act
Our Position: support
Bill Number: HB550
Sponsor: Rep. Wendell Willard
Legislative Session: 2006
Georgia’s rivers, lakes and streams are polluted. Sixty percent of those tested do not meet water quality standards, including waterways like Lake Allatoona. Georgia also lets polluters dump into our waterways for free, which means less funding for clean water enforcement. The good news is that last week state representatives Willard (R-Atlanta), Buckner (D-Junction City) and others introduced House Bill 550, which would start charging polluters a fee for water pollution permits. This would raise the revenue it will take to help clean up our polluted waterways and enforce our clean water laws.
Status
Failed
Action Needed
The bill is in the Environmental Quality Subcommmittee of Natural Resources. It needs to be scheduled for a vote…soon! So for folks whose reps are on the subcommittee, ask them to support it. For folks whose reps are not, ask the chair to schedule a vote. Subcommittee members: Tom McCall Chuck Martin Terry Barnard (cosponsor) Stephanie Benfield (cosponsor) Debbie Buckner (cosponsor) Mark Burkhalter Harry Geisinger (cosponsor) Bob Hanner Bob Holmes Jan Jones Mike Keown Bobby Reese Richard Royal Richard Smith
Background
Georgia’s rivers, lakes and streams are polluted. In 2004, nearly 3,000 miles of rivers and streams and 56,000 acres of lakes were recognized as too polluted to be safe for fishing and swimming, including popular recreation areas like Lake Allatoona. Part of the problem is our Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is too underfunded to enforce the clean water laws that are supposed to restrict dangerous levels of pollution. Under the Clean Water Act, Georgia’s EPD is responsible for controlling direct discharges of pollution into our waterways. Any facility wishing to discharge pollution into our waterways needs to obtain a permit limiting the amount of pollution they can discharge. Currently, there are more than 800 polluters, including power plants, sewage treatment plants, pulp and paper mills, chemical plants and more, which have these permits. Unfortunately, the Georgia EPD lacks the funding and the staff to enforce the limits in those permits. During the last three years, more than half of all facilities in the state went without any inspection. Additionally, of the 125 large facilities that were found to be violating their permits over the past two years, 79 received no fine or enforcement action, leaving little incentive for them to stop breaking the law. All of our neighboring states have instituted a fee for their pollution discharge permits, raising needed revenue to enforce their clean water laws. Tennessee raises $4.1 million annually for clean water enforcement, and Florida raises $3.7 million from these permits. It’s time that we follow their lead by instituting fees for polluters in Georgia. Reps. Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) and Debbie Buckner (D-Columbus) 12 other legislators introduced House Bill 550, which would establish these polluter fees in Georgia. Please take a moment to ask your representatives to support HB 550, then ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this email to them.
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