Georgia Mountains
Regional Development
Center
Serving the Communities of Georgia Mountains since 1962
Banks Dawson Forsyth Franklin Habersham Hall Hart Lumpkin Rabun Stephens Towns Union White
About
Departments
Environmental Planning
Natural resource management is becoming increasingly important as growth in north Georgia places mounting pressure on the environment, making land use management and water resources planning leading themes for the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center.
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Planning
The TMDL program is one method of implementing the Clean Water Act to ensure that the nation's waters can support aquatic life and may be safely used for public drinking water supplies and recreation. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) identifies water bodies that do not meet water quality standards, and TMDL Implementation Plans are then developed as guides towards improving water quality. The GMRDC is responsible for assisting local governments and stakeholder groups with reviewing conditions within a watershed and developing a plan for improving water quality.
Section 106/ Section 604 (b) TMDL Implementation Grant
TMDL Implementation Plans identify voluntary and regulatory management practices that can be employed by local governments, public organizations and individual citizens to improve water quality in degraded streams. These grant programs are then used to assist with the actual implementation measures, such as water testing, stream bank improvement and other measures.
Georgia State Water Plan
As part of the 2004 Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Planning Act the EPD is developing the first Statewide Comprehensive Water Management Plan, a major step in the protection of public health and environmental quality to ensure that future water resource needs will be achieved. The planning process includes an evaluation of the State's water resources and adjustments to statutes, regulations, and management programs to achieve sustainable water resources management. The GMRDC is contributing to this effort through participation in the Metro Atlanta Overlay Basin Advisory Committee (BAC). In this capacity the GMRDC reviews and provides feedback to proposed water management concepts and approaches to make certain that local government interests and environmental needs are balanced and that the Plan will provide a solid framework for water use, management, and conservation in the future. Implementation of the Statewide Water Management Plan will impact local governments through the adjustment of policies concerning surface and groundwater withdrawals, interbasin transfers, as well as stormwater and wastewater management requirements.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
EIAs are developed for large planning and resource development projects that are conducted, funded, or approved by a government agency. An EIA determines the significance of an action's environmental impacts including an assessment of noise, visual, erosion and sediment control, and historical resources. This information is then used in the ultimate design and development design of the project.
Regional Environmental Issues and Action Committee (REIAC)
The REIAC addresses solid waste and environmental issues within the Georgia Mountains region and is composed of local and regional government representatives, solid waste management organizations, and community-supported groups such as Keep Our Mountains Beautiful. This committee works with GMRDC staff in providing advice and direction on key projects and assisting with education and promotion efforts on behalf of environmental programs.
Metropolitan River Protection Act (MRPA)
Forsyth County and the GMRDC jointly implement MRPA regulations to ensure that all land disturbing activity within a designated corridor of the Chattahoochee River in Forsyth County complies with development regulations, such as stream buffer and floodplain regulations and clearing and impervious cover limitations. The GMRDC provides site plan review and technical assistance while the Forsyth County Planning Department issues permits based on RDC findings, monitors land-disturbing activity, and enforces MRPA regulations. Since MRPA's origination in 1973 the Act has largely been considered a success by maintaining the Chattahoochee Rivers quality as a water source for metropolitan Atlanta, sustaining heavy use for recreational purposes, and as trout and other sensitive species persist in one of the nation's largest urban settings.
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