New wastewater rules might affect Augusta industries

Mar 8, 2010 — The Augusta Chronicle

Rob Pavey

Mar. 8, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Changes in the regulations that govern how much waste can be discharged into the Savannah River could make it more difficult for industries to get and renew environmental permits.

"Right now, everything's in a transition stage," said Jeff Larson, the assistant chief of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's Water Protection Branch.

Each day, the river and its tributaries near Augusta absorb about 70 million gallons of treated wastewater from municipal plants in three counties -- and an additional 40 million gallons from major industries.

Those pollution loads -- of which 95 percent originate on the Georgia side -- occur through permit programs designed to ensure the river's flow adequately dilutes the waste.

The catalyst bringing changes to those programs involves a settlement to a 1994 Sierra Club lawsuit in which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded water in Savannah Harbor is deficient in dissolved oxygen.

The agency's proposed remedy was to limit oxygen-depleting discharges such as municipal and industrial wastewater 200 miles upstream.

The plan requires development of "total maximum daily loads" for oxygen demanding pollutants from wastewater, and the recommended TMDL was -- at least on paper -- zero.

In theory, the EPA's edict of zero would force cities to shut down all wastewater programs, but such a rule was deemed unenforceable. However, because the river is technically in violation of the federal Clean Water Act, all wastewater permitting matters are on hold until a new oxygen standard is adopted.

Involved in the discussions, in addition to Georgia and the EPA, are officials with South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Once those new standards are adopted, they will be very low.

"It will be something above zero, but at least it won't be zero," Larson said.

Part of the challenge will be to accommodate major industries that have wastewater permits and also to be able to accommodate new industries.

Augusta, for example, was identified last month by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of two sites under scrutiny by New York-based First Quality Tissue, which is planning a 2 million square foot tissue mill that could employ 1,000 people.

Local and state officials declined to comment on the report.

Larson, speaking not about any specific project, said both Georgia and South Carolina have plans in place to accommodate any new industries that express interest in the Savannah River.

"Generally, for new industries discussing the option of locating here, we tell them about the TMDL that is being revised, and that we can discuss loading scenarios more formally after it is complete," he said. "In the meantime, we also let them know there are several other options."

Examples, he said, include pretreatment programs that can reduce or eliminate the impact on the river by sending it to a municipal treatment plant that already has a wastewater permit.

Technology also is available to inject oxygen into effluent to mitigate the impact of the waste on the river's dissolved oxygen levels.

Larson was unsure when the final TMDL agreement would be adopted. "But when it is final, we are confident there will be a way to deal with new industries," he said, adding also that the reallocation must be amenable to South Carolina, which shares the river and its resources.

Bud Badr, the state hydrologist for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, agreed.

"What is good for one side should be good for both sides," he said, noting that both states have worked together on water issues -- and even shared the cost of recent studies of the Savannah River. "We should work toward a happy ending for both sides."

Newstex ID: KRTB-0004-42660711