Pollution and Contaminants Resources
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Georgia’s Water Quality Standards
The Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) is responsible for setting and enforcing water quality standards. The goals of establishing these standards are to “provide enhancement of water quality and prevention of pollution; to protect the public health or welfare in accordance with the public interest for drinking water supplies, conservation of fish, wildlife, and other beneficial aquatic life, and agricultural, industrial, recreational, and other reasonable and necessary uses and to maintain and improve the biological integrity of the waters of the State.” This publication contains comprehensive information about Georgia’s water quality standards and what the public should know about bodies of water that do not meet these standards.
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On-site wastewater treatment systems provide treatment and ultimate dispersal of wastewater from homes and small businesses. They usually consist of a septic tank, a drain field and the underlying soil. When properly designed, installed and maintained, they are an environmentally benign method to manage household wastewater.
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Drinking Water Protection in Georgia
Drinking water sources in Georgia (surface and ground water) can be contaminated by landfills and dumps, leaky septic tanks, urban runoff, industry and agricultural operations. The state of Georgia has implemented two programs designed to identify potential sources of pollution and protect drinking water sources.
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Bacterial Source Tracking (BST)
Fecal contamination of water impacts many regions of the U.S. and may carry risks to human health. When a water body fails to meet water quality standards for fecal bacteria, the Federal Clean Water Act requires a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis to establish how many bacteria are in the water, the sources of bacteria and whether the contamination varies seasonally. If all the point sources of contamination are acknowledged and there is still a bacterial problem, it may be time to try additional source identification tools, such as Bacterial Source Tracking.
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With the passing of the Clean Water Act and subsequent creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the early 1970s, industrial, institutional, and commercial entities have been required to continually improve the quality of their process wastewater effluent discharges. The determination of wastewater quality set forth in environmental permits has been established in a series of laboratory tests focused on four major categories: 1. Organics, 2. Solids, 3. Nutrients, 4. Physical Properties. For most people, it’s not necessary to possess a complete understanding of the standard methods required to accurately complete critical wastewater analytical tests. However, a fundamental understanding of the theory behind and working knowledge of the basic procedures used for each test, and the answers to commonly asked questions about each test, can be a valuable tool for anyone involved in generating, monitoring, treating, or discharging process wastewater. This publication is designed to provide a solid working knowledge of one of the major wastewater analytical test categories: 2. Solids.
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This publication provides a brief overview of the major regulatory agencies and highlights the rules that Georgia farmers should be aware of concerning storage tanks on their farms.
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The cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from any human activity are commonly referred to as the carbon footprint. The Poultry Carbon Footprint Calculation Tool was developed and designed specifically for poultry production farms. The tool can be used to estimate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from pullet, breeder, and broiler grow-out farms.
This publication provides an overview for poultry producers on how to use the tool and gives recommended applications. The tool can be downloaded from
https://poultry.caes.uga.edu/content/dam/caes-subsite/poultry/documents/GHG-Calc-Tool.xlsm|
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C 2579
Be Aware of Your Indoor Air
Did you know the air inside buildings is nearly always more polluted than outside air? Learn the types of indoor air pollution and what you can do.
This publication was originally published by the LSU AgCenter and released for use in the state of Georgia by UGA Extension Housing & Environment Specialist Pamela Turner.
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