This public hearing for a wastewater permit far away from the Suwannee River Basin is of interest because apparently the instigator of this biomass plant is also the president of Twin Pines Minerals, which wants to strip mine for titanium far too near the Okefenokee Swamp.

When: 7 PM, Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Where: https://gaepd.zoom.us/j/96881364173

Property Location

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice of Application for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit to Discharge Treated Wastewater Into Waters of the State of Georgia.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has received a new NPDES permit application for the issuance of a new NPDES permit. Having reviewed such application, the Environmental Protection Division proposes to issue for a maximum term of five years the following permit subject to specific pollutant limitations and special conditions:

GRP Madison Renewable Energy Facility, LLC, P.O. Box 909, Colbert, Georgia 30628, NPDES Permit No. GA0050283, for its steam electric facility located at 268 Office Drive, Colbert, Georgia 30628. A maximum of 3.55 MGD treated boiler blowdown, boiler feedwater, boiler area drains, reverse osmosis reject water, STG sump area drains, cooling tower blowdown, and stormwater is discharged to an unnamed tributary to Beaverdam Creek in the Savannah River Basin.

EPD will host a public hearing via Zoom software at 7:00 p.m. on March 2, 2021. Zoom is a free web conferencing platform that also allows participation by phone. In accordance with EPD’s safety precautions regarding the COVID-19 virus, EPD encourages members of the public to participate in the public hearing via Zoom. The purpose of the public hearing is to receive comments on the draft NPDES permit for GRP Madison Renewable Energy Facility, LLC.

To log into the public hearing on your computer, please click this link or copy and paste it into your browser to join the meeting: https://gaepd.zoom.us/j/96881364173

To ensure that you are ready to participate when the meeting begins, we recommend that you download Zoom in advance. Zoom can be found here: https://zoom.us/

To dial in by phone, please call this number: 1-470-381-2552

The meeting ID is 968 8136 4173

The passcode is 572750

Please note that if you choose to participate by phone, your number may be visible to other meeting attendees.

The public hearing is a formal process to receive comments on the draft permit. Participants who wish to comment for the record are requested to sign in upon arrival. Hearing participants will not be subject to questions from the audience, but may be questioned by the Hearing Officer for clarification of technical points or to develop a better understanding of statements. Questions asked by participants making statements will be answered by EPD in writing at a later date. Lengthy statements or statements of considerable technical or economic nature should be submitted in writing for the official record. During the hearing, oral statements shall be limited to three (3) minutes to allow everyone an opportunity to be heard. Comments should be confined to water quality issues.

Written comments are welcomed. To ensure their consideration, written comments should be received by close of business on March 5, 2021. Please address written comments to the address listed below, or via e-mail to EPDcomments@dnr.ga.gov. If you choose to e-mail your comments, please be sure to include the words “NPDES Permit Issuance—GRP Madison Renewable Energy Facility, LLC” in the subject line to ensure that your comments will be forwarded to the correct staff.

Individual draft permits, applications, supporting documents, and fact sheets are available on EPD’s website accessible through the publicly available Georgia EPD Online System (GEOS) at: https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Public/GovEnt/Shared/Pages/Main/Login.aspx by searching for Submittal No: 462714.

A fact sheet or copy of the draft permit is also available by writing the Environmental Protection Division. A copying charge of 10 cents per page will be assessed. The permit application, draft permit, comments received, and other information are available for review at 2 MLK, Jr. Dr., Suite 1152E, Atlanta, GA 30334, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For additional information contact: Whitney Fenwick, Wastewater Regulatory Program, phone (404) 656-2795 or e-mail whitney.fenwick@dnr.ga.gov.

Madison County Clean Power Coalition, February 10, 2021, NPDES Wastewater Permit Application.

Here is further information on the upcoming NPDES Wastewater permit made by GRP. The time for public comment will end March 5, 2021. We need your voice to protect our county.

Below are the methods by which you can make public comment. Also, please see the entire application submitted.

• Public Comment & Public Hearing -Two page notice from EPD calling for public comment in writing by March 5 and/or by attending Zoom Public Hearing on March 2.
• Draft Permit: 66-page draft permit, including, among other regulations and measurements, anticipated effluent composition and characteristics.
• Permit application: GRP NPDES application and documentation
• Newspaper article: Excellent summary of the dangers and questions regarding the GRP wastewater permit.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

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