Friends of Barber Creek

News You Can Use!

11/25/07 The Georgia Water Coalition, a group of individuals and organizations which includes the Friends of Barber Creek as one of its 149 partners, has drafted a resolution in response to the current drought crisis in Georgia. The Board of Directors of the Friends of Barber Creek is asking the Board of Commissioners of Oconee County to pass this resolution on behalf of the citizens of Oconee County.
12/30/06 Many thanks for the terrific turnout at the EPD hearing. It was great to see so many folks stand up for what they believe is important at this mid-December meeting!
Check out the supporting documents for our claim that the county's application was faulty in our library and new pictures in the photo album after the rainfall on Christmas Day.
12/06/06 Please attend the hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2006, at the Oconee County Civic Center, 2661 Hog Mountain Road, to tell representatives of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division of your concerns about the draft permit to allow for the discharge of 1.0 million gallons per day of treated sewage water into Barber Creek. Even if you support the discharge into the creek, please consider asking the EPD to limit discharge to when the creek is not flood, to clean the water to the highest standard possible--drinking water quality--and to agree to frequent, unannounced monitoring of the creek. A petition you can sign and bring to the meeting is available on this website. If you cannot attend the meeting, please sign and send the petition directly to the EPD. It isn't necessary to speak at the meeting. Please attend to show your interest and support.
10/22/06 Please Attend Nov. 1 Candidate Forum
Candidates seeking to represent District 46 in the Georgia Senate (Bill Cowsert and Jane Kidd) and candidates seeking to represent District 113 in the George House (Bob Smith and Becky Vaughn) will participate in a Candidate Forum to be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Oconee County Library.
Many people already know for whom they will vote in these important races. No one knows for sure who is going to win. This is an opportunity not only to learn about all of the candidates but also to communicate to the candidates about your concerns about issues facing Oconee County and Georgia.
The event is open to the public and is sponsored by Citizens for Oconee’s Future, Citizens for South Oconee County, Friends of Barber Creek, Friends of the Apalachee and Oconee Citizens for Responsible Growth.
8/28/06 Please consider writing the Georgia EPD by Sept. 14 requesting a hearing on Oconee County’s request for a permit to discharge treated wastewater into Barber Creek. We need to have many questions answered...
8/28/06 A letter dated 11/28/05 to Oconee County from EPD is in the FOBC library.
7/20/06 Please consider attending the 7/25/06 Board of Commissioner's meeting at 7:00 pm at the courthouse to express your opinion about the "watering down" of the stormwater ordinance.
6/15/06 Personal letter from Lee Becker to the Board of Commissioners regarding the stormwater ordinance is posted for informational purposes in the FOBC library
6/1/06-6/8/06 Several documents about the new stormwater ordinance in the FOBC library
5/4/06 Check out the FOBC library with a Winder Hearing Briefing and other documents!
4/12/06 As many of you were informed by mail today, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, will hold a public hearing on the Barrow County request for a permit to dump treated wastewater into Barber Creek. Our group produced more than 80 letters asking for this hearing. This is a sign of our success. Now we must be prepared to attend the hearing and present our case.

The hearing on the Barrow County request will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, at the Barrow County Board of Commissioners Board Room #315 , 233 E. Broad St., Winder.

Significant questions need to be raised about this permit request. Among them are the following:

1. The August 5, 2005, application is for a 0.5 MGD cold weather discharge into Barber Creek, yet the EPD proposes to grant a 0.5 MGD per day discharge permit, with no restriction to cold weather, as well as an add itional permit to discharge 1.0 MGD per day. Why?

2. Barber Creek currently floods often. What will be the impact of the Barrow County discharges on flooding downstream from the plant? Oconee County also is seeking a permit to dump 0.6 MGD of treated wastewater into the creek and has calculated that this discharge will increase the water level in Barber Creek by just under 3/4th of an inch. Oconee County is discussing the possibility of seeking permits to discharge up to 4 MGD from its plant on Rocky Branch Road.
3. Experts from the firm of Jordan, Jones & Goulding, in a draft report presented to Oconee County in March of 2004, stated on Page 3-5:

"For Oconee County the surface streams with large enough flows to receive treated discharges are considered to be the Apalachee, Middle Oconee, and Oconee Rivers. The other streams, such as Barber Creek and Calls Creek, are considered to be too small to receive a substantial quantity of treated flow."

Barber Creek is even smaller in Barrow County. What evidence is there that Jordan, Jones & Goulding were wrong in their assessment of the capacity of Barber Creek?

4. The draft permit for Barrow County specifies actions that must be taken by Barrow County in the event of a spill of untreated sewage or sewage treated at a lower standard than covered by your proposed permit. None of these courses of action w ill protect residents who live downstream from the plant. Given the level of development along the creek, why is the proper course of action not to disallow any discharge into Barber Creek?

5. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, the Barrow County plant is already under construction. Why was that allowed, when no permit has been issued?

I'm trying to locate a place for all of us to meet in the first week of May to discuss these and other issues facing Barber Creek.
3/14/06 At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, Oconee County held a public meeting in the Oconee County Civic Center at 2661 Hog Mountain Road to discuss expansion of the Rocky Branch Water Reclamation Facility and the discharge of treated wastewater into Barber Creek. See the presentation document in our library.
1/23/06 FOBC was formed effective January 23, 2006.



Home News & Events Barber Creek Map What Can You Do? FAQ Library Photo Album Join Us! Internet Links Contact Us	News You Can Use! 11/25/07 The Georgia Water Coalition, a group of individuals and organizations which includes the Friends of Barber Creek as one of its 149 partners, has drafted a resolution in response to the current drought crisis in Georgia. The Board of Directors of the Friends of Barber Creek is asking the Board of Commissioners of Oconee County to pass this resolution on behalf of the citizens of Oconee County. 12/30/06 Many thanks for the terrific turnout at the EPD hearing. It was great to see so many folks stand up for what they believe is important at this mid-December meeting! Check out the supporting documents for our claim that the county's application was faulty in our library and new pictures in the photo album after the rainfall on Christmas Day. 12/06/06 Please attend the hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12, 2006, at the Oconee County Civic Center, 2661 Hog Mountain Road, to tell representatives of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division of your concerns about the draft permit to allow for the discharge of 1.0 million gallons per day of treated sewage water into Barber Creek. Even if you support the discharge into the creek, please consider asking the EPD to limit discharge to when the creek is not flood, to clean the water to the highest standard possible--drinking water quality--and to agree to frequent, unannounced monitoring of the creek. A petition you can sign and bring to the meeting is available on this website. If you cannot attend the meeting, please sign and send the petition directly to the EPD. It isn't necessary to speak at the meeting. Please attend to show your interest and support. 10/22/06 Please Attend Nov. 1 Candidate Forum Candidates seeking to represent District 46 in the Georgia Senate (Bill Cowsert and Jane Kidd) and candidates seeking to represent District 113 in the George House (Bob Smith and Becky Vaughn) will participate in a Candidate Forum to be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Oconee County Library. Many people already know for whom they will vote in these important races. No one knows for sure who is going to win. This is an opportunity not only to learn about all of the candidates but also to communicate to the candidates about your concerns about issues facing Oconee County and Georgia. The event is open to the public and is sponsored by Citizens for Oconee’s Future, Citizens for South Oconee County, Friends of Barber Creek, Friends of the Apalachee and Oconee Citizens for Responsible Growth. 8/28/06 Please consider writing the Georgia EPD by Sept. 14 requesting a hearing on Oconee County’s request for a permit to discharge treated wastewater into Barber Creek. We need to have many questions answered... 8/28/06 A letter dated 11/28/05 to Oconee County from EPD is in the FOBC library. 7/20/06 Please consider attending the 7/25/06 Board of Commissioner's meeting at 7:00 pm at the courthouse to express your opinion about the "watering down" of the stormwater ordinance. 6/15/06 Personal letter from Lee Becker to the Board of Commissioners regarding the stormwater ordinance is posted for informational purposes in the FOBC library 6/1/06-6/8/06 Several documents about the new stormwater ordinance in the FOBC library 5/4/06 Check out the FOBC library with a Winder Hearing Briefing and other documents! 4/12/06 As many of you were informed by mail today, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, will hold a public hearing on the Barrow County request for a permit to dump treated wastewater into Barber Creek. Our group produced more than 80 letters asking for this hearing. This is a sign of our success. Now we must be prepared to attend the hearing and present our case. The hearing on the Barrow County request will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, at the Barrow County Board of Commissioners Board Room #315 , 233 E. Broad St., Winder. Significant questions need to be raised about this permit request. Among them are the following: 1. The August 5, 2005, application is for a 0.5 MGD cold weather discharge into Barber Creek, yet the EPD proposes to grant a 0.5 MGD per day discharge permit, with no restriction to cold weather, as well as an add itional permit to discharge 1.0 MGD per day. Why? 2. Barber Creek currently floods often. What will be the impact of the Barrow County discharges on flooding downstream from the plant? Oconee County also is seeking a permit to dump 0.6 MGD of treated wastewater into the creek and has calculated that this discharge will increase the water level in Barber Creek by just under 3/4th of an inch. Oconee County is discussing the possibility of seeking permits to discharge up to 4 MGD from its plant on Rocky Branch Road. 3. Experts from the firm of Jordan, Jones & Goulding, in a draft report presented to Oconee County in March of 2004, stated on Page 3-5: "For Oconee County the surface streams with large enough flows to receive treated discharges are considered to be the Apalachee, Middle Oconee, and Oconee Rivers. The other streams, such as Barber Creek and Calls Creek, are considered to be too small to receive a substantial quantity of treated flow." Barber Creek is even smaller in Barrow County. What evidence is there that Jordan, Jones & Goulding were wrong in their assessment of the capacity of Barber Creek? 4. The draft permit for Barrow County specifies actions that must be taken by Barrow County in the event of a spill of untreated sewage or sewage treated at a lower standard than covered by your proposed permit. None of these courses of action w ill protect residents who live downstream from the plant. Given the level of development along the creek, why is the proper course of action not to disallow any discharge into Barber Creek? 5. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, the Barrow County plant is already under construction. Why was that allowed, when no permit has been issued? I'm trying to locate a place for all of us to meet in the first week of May to discuss these and other issues facing Barber Creek. 3/14/06 At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, Oconee County held a public meeting in the Oconee County Civic Center at 2661 Hog Mountain Road to discuss expansion of the Rocky Branch Water Reclamation Facility and the discharge of treated wastewater into Barber Creek. See the presentation document in our library. 1/23/06 FOBC was formed effective January 23, 2006.
	Copyright 2006 Friends of Barber Creek, Inc. All rights reserved