the upper altamaha initiative:
fall 2005
fecal coliform management in gwinnett county
Amanda Worthington, Feng Jiang
Recommendations for Improving Fecal Coliform
Pollution Control in Gwinnett County, Georgia (PDF)
Abstract
In order to ensure compliance with the TMDL requirement of the CWA, Gwinnett County, in suburban Atlanta, would like to enhance and expand their TMDL implementation plan for fecal coliform pollution. Fecal coliform pollution comes from sources such as urban runoff, livestock, wildlife, and failing or leaking septic systems. Current measures used to manage fecal coliform pollution in Gwinnett County include the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program, storm water management ordinances, agricultural and land development best management practices (BMPs), and septic system programs such as using color infrared aerial photography to identify and rectify failing systems and septic to sewer transition.
Possible new management measures include new or improved wildlife best management practices (particularly to deal with deer and geese populations), ordinances to keep livestock out of streams, creative financing programs to fix leaking or failing septic systems, further reduction in point source discharge, new or enhancements to current land development BMPs. An important component of this project is identifying the sources of the fecal coliform pollution in order to choose the appropriate new or enhanced management measures. Land cover GIS maps and aerial and satellite photography can help identify land uses and therefore, possible pollution sources. Two other methods to identify pollution sources are broad monitoring through water sampling and DNA finger-printing. Once the potential new management measures are identified, they will be evaluated for cost, efficiency, feasibility, and other factors. The project will list potential roadblocks for the management measures such as legal or technical barriers or complications and suggestions on ways to work around these roadblocks. Another component of the project is a compilation of brief case studies on where and how these management measures have been used in other jurisdictions.
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