§ 30-137. Definitions.

The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and enforcement of this article, unless otherwise specifically stated:

Best management practices (BMPs) means these include sound conservation and engineering practices to prevent and minimize erosion and resultant sedimentation, which are consistent with, and no less stringent than, those practices contained in the "Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia" published by the commission as of January 1 of the year in which the land-disturbing activity was permitted.

Board means the board of natural resources.

Buffer means the area of land immediately adjacent to the banks of state waters in its natural state of vegetation, which facilitates the protection of water quality and aquatic habitat.

Certified personnel means a person who has successfully completed the appropriate certification course approved by the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission.

Coastal marshlands means shall have the same meaning as in O.C.G.A. § 12-5-282.

Commission means the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC).

CPESC means certified professional in erosion and sediment control with current certification by EnviroCert, Inc., which is also referred to as CPESC or CPESC, Inc.

Cut means a portion of land surface or area from which earth has been removed or will be removed by excavation; the depth below original ground surface to the excavated surface. Also known as excavation.

Department means the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Design professional means a professional licensed by the State of Georgia in the field of engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, forestry, geology, or land surveying; or a person that is a certified professional in erosion and sediment control (CPESC) with a current certification by EnviroCert, Inc. Design Professionals shall practice in a manner that complies with applicable Georgia law governing professional licensure.

Director means the director of the environmental protection division or an authorized representative.

District means the Region IV Soil and Water Conservation District.

Division means the environmental protection division (EPD) of the department of natural resources.

Drainage structure means a device composed of a virtually nonerodible material such as concrete, steel, plastic or other such material that conveys water from one place to another by intercepting the flow and carrying it to a release point for storm water management, drainage control, or flood control purposes.

Erosion means the process by which land surface is worn away by the action of wind, water, ice or gravity.

Erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan means a plan required by the Erosion and Sedimentation Act, O.C.G.A. ch. 12-7, that includes, as a minimum protection at least as stringent as the state general permit, best management practices, and requirements in section 30-139(c) of this article.

Fill means a portion of land surface to which soil or other solid material has been added; the depth above the original ground surface or an excavation.

Final stabilization means all soil disturbing activities at the site have been completed, and that for unpaved areas and areas not covered by permanent structures and areas located outside the waste disposal limits of a landfill cell that has been certified by EPD for waste disposal, 100 percent of the soil surface is uniformly covered in permanent vegetation with a density of 70 percent or greater, or landscaped according to the plan (uniformly covered with landscaping materials in planned landscape areas), or equivalent permanent stabilization measures as defined in the manual (excluding a crop of annual vegetation and seeding of target crop perennials appropriate for the region). Final stabilization applies to each phase of construction.

Finished grade means the final elevation and contour of the ground after cutting or filling and conforming to the proposed design.

Grading means altering the shape of ground surfaces to a predetermined condition; this includes stripping, cutting, filling, stockpiling and shaping or any combination thereof and shall include the land in its cut or filled condition.

Ground elevation means the original elevation of the ground surface prior to cutting or filling.

Land-disturbing activity means any activity which may result in soil erosion from water or wind and the movement of sediments into state waters or onto lands within the state, including, but not limited to, clearing, dredging, grading, excavating, transporting, and filling of land but not including agricultural practices as described in section 30-138(5).

Larger common plan of development or sale means a contiguous area where multiple separate and distinct construction activities are occurring under one plan of development or sale. For the purposes of this paragraph, "plan" means an announcement; piece of documentation such as a sign, public notice or hearing, sales pitch, advertisement, drawing, permit application, zoning request, or computer design; or physical demarcation such as boundary signs, lot stakes, or surveyor markings, indicating that construction activities may occur on a specific plot.

Local issuing authority means the governing authority of any county or municipality which is certified pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 12-7-8(a).

Metropolitan River Protection Act (MRPA) means a state law referenced as O.C.G.A. § 12-5-440 et seq. which addresses environmental and developmental matters in certain metropolitan river corridors and their drainage basins.

Natural ground surface means the ground surface in its original state before any grading, excavation or filling.

Nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) means numerical units of measure based upon photometric analytical techniques for measuring the light scattered by finely divided particles of a substance in suspension. This technique is used to estimate the extent of turbidity in water in which colloidally dispersed or suspended particles are present.

NOI means a notice of intent form provided by EPD for coverage under the state general permit.

NOT means a notice of termination form provided by EPD to terminate coverage under the state general permit.

Operator means the party or parties that have: (A) operational control of construction project plans and specifications, including the ability to make modifications to those plans and specifications; or (B) day-to-day operational control of those activities that are necessary to ensure compliance with an erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan for the site or other permit conditions, such as a person authorized to direct workers at a site to carry out activities required by the erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan or to comply with other permit conditions.

Outfall means the location where storm water in a discernible, confined and discrete conveyance, leaves a facility or site or, if there is a receiving water on site, becomes a point source discharging into that receiving water.

Permit means the authorization necessary to conduct a land-disturbing activity under the provisions of this article.

Person means any individual, partnership, firm, association, joint venture, public or private corporation, trust, estate, commission, board, public or private institution, utility, cooperative, state agency, municipality or other political subdivision of the State of Georgia, any interstate body or any other legal entity.

Phase or phased means sub-parts or segments of construction projects where the sub-part or segment is constructed and stabilized prior to completing construction activities on the entire construction site.

Project means the entire proposed development project regardless of the size of the area of land to be disturbed.

Properly designed means designed in accordance with the design requirements and specifications contained in the "Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia" (Manual) published by the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission as of January 1 of the year in which the land-disturbing activity was permitted and amendments to the Manual as approved by the Commission up until the date of NOI submittal.

Roadway drainage structure means a device such as a bridge, culvert, or ditch, composed of a virtually nonerodible material such as concrete, steel, plastic, or other such material that conveys water under a roadway by intercepting the flow on one side of a traveled roadway consisting of one or more defined lanes, with or without shoulder areas, and carrying water to a release point on the other side.

Sediment means solid material, both organic and inorganic, that is in suspension, is being transported, or has been moved from its site of origin by wind, water, ice, or gravity as a product of erosion.

Sedimentation means the process by which eroded material is transported and deposited by the action of water, wind, ice or gravity.

Soil and water conservation district approved plan means an erosion, sedimentation and pollution control plan approved in writing by the soil and water conservation district.

Stabilization means the process of establishing an enduring soil cover of vegetation by the installation of temporary or permanent structures for the purpose of reducing to a minimum the erosion process and the resultant transport of sediment by wind, water, ice or gravity.

State general permit means the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permit or permits for storm water runoff from construction activities as is now in effect or as may be amended or reissued in the future pursuant to the state's authority to implement the same through federal delegation under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. Section 1251, et seq., and subsection (f) of Code Section 12-5-30.

State waters means any and all rivers, streams, creeks, branches, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, drainage systems, springs, wells, and other bodies of surface or subsurface water, natural or artificial, lying within or forming a part of the boundaries of Georgia which are not entirely confined and retained completely upon the property of a single individual, partnership, or corporation.

Structural erosion, sedimentation and pollution control practices means practices for the stabilization of erodible or sediment-producing areas by utilizing the mechanical properties of matter for the purpose of either changing the surface of the land or storing, regulating or disposing of runoff to prevent excessive sediment loss. Examples of structural erosion and sediment control practices are riprap, sediment basins, dikes, level spreaders, waterways or outlets, diversions, grade stabilization structures and sediment traps, etc. Such practices can be found in the publication Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia.

Trout streams means all streams or portions of streams within the watershed as designated by the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources under the provisions of the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A. § 12-5-20, in the rules and regulations for Water Quality Control, Chapter 391-3-6 at www.epd.georgia.gov. Streams designated as primary trout waters are defined as water supporting a self-sustaining population of rainbow, brown or brook trout. Streams designated as secondary trout waters are those in which there is no evidence of natural trout reproduction, but are capable of supporting trout throughout the year. First order trout waters are streams into which no other streams flow except springs.

Vegetative erosion and sedimentation control measures means measures for the stabilization of erodible or sediment-producing areas by covering the soil with:

(1)

Permanent seeding, sprigging or planting, producing long-term vegetative cover;

(2)

Temporary seeding, producing short-term vegetative cover; or

(3)

Sodding, covering areas with a turf of perennial sod-forming grass.

Such measures can be found in the publication Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia.

Watercourse means any natural or artificial watercourse, stream, river, creek, channel, ditch, canal, conduit, culvert, drain, waterway, gully, ravine, or wash in which water flows either continuously or intermittently and which has a definite channel, bed and banks, and including any area adjacent thereto subject to inundation by reason of overflow or floodwater.

Wetlands means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.

( Ord. No. 02-2015 , § 1(Exh. A), 2-23-15; Ord. No. 01-03-2018 , § II, 3-26-18)