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Attend the GA EPD hearing on Barrow County's request for a permit to dump treated wastewater into Barber Creek. 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.

Ask your County Commissioners the following questions about the planned construction of a wastewater treatment facility on Barber Creek:

• Question: In March of 2004, Jordan Jones & Goulding presented a Draft Report Wastewater System Master Plan to Oconee County. The report, on Page 3-5, makes the following statement:
  "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. While these smaller streams could be used, the treatment standards would be very restrictive, increasing the cost of the treatment facilities."
  The JJG report noted that, even if water was treated at a level to meet state requirements, as the plants expanded they would quickly exceed the capacity of these creeks, making the Apalachee, Middle Oconee and Oconee more appropriate.
  Given this observation, why did the County decide to expand the Rocky Branch Waste Treatment facility and discharge into Barber Creek?
• Question: The Rocky Branch Land Application System was opened in August of 2002. It is in the part of the county experiencing the most rapid growth. It seems likely it will soon be surrounded by residential development. Why does it make sense to expand this facility given this location and the fact that the only close outlet is Barber Creek?
  In the Final Report, JJG, in describing Option 4, which it recommended, made the following observation about the Rocky Branch facility (Page 3-9): Capacity added beyond 0.4 MGD would entail the installation of a new treatment plant and an effluent pipeline from the plant site to Barber Creek or the Apalachee River.
  Why did the County select Barber Creek rather than the Apalachee River to receive the effluent?
• Question: The County on March 1, 2005, passed an amendment to the water and wastewater standards for the county. According to that ordinance, the water should NOT be used for the following: drinking, food preparation, hand washing, automobile washing , or irrigation of fruits and vegetables (Page 1 of 5 or ordinance). Why should we want it in our creek if people aren’t even supposed to use it to wash their cars?

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