Opinion ID: 1370501
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: environmental laws on applying sludge to land

Text: 3. The Georgia Water Quality Control Act gives state government the responsibility for establishing and maintaining water quality. [19] The act was passed to restore and maintain water purity and supplies within the state and require reasonable treatment of sewage, industrial wastes, and other wastes prior to their discharge into the waters of the state. [20] In 1993, the General Assembly amended the act to regulate the application of sludge to land. OCGA § 12-5-30.3 defines the term sludge land application as the placement of sludge on ground other than a landfill for the purpose of disposing of it, conditioning soil, or enhancing agriculture. The statute requires any person operating a sludge land application system to obtain the EPD director's approval and requires the Board of Natural Resources to adopt technical and procedural regulations, including public notice and hearing requirements. In the area of local regulation, the statute provides that local governing authorities may assess reasonable monitoring fees from both the generator of the sludge and the owner of the site on which the sludge is to be applied. Franklin County's Land Disposal Ordinance requires any person to obtain a permit to dispose of industrial, hazardous, radioactive, or biomedical waste on land in the unincorporated parts of the county. The application must be prepared by a licensed professional engineer and contain detailed descriptions of the existing land site, proposed disposal processes, environmental effects of all wastes to be disposed, and schedule for disposal. The ordinance provides for an application fee, the hiring of expert consultants, an annual monitoring fee, and the right of inspection. By this ordinance, the county has enacted a local ordinance dealing with the same subject as general law. As a result, the general preemption rule controls unless the county ordinance falls within the exception to the uniformity clause. Under that exception, the General Assembly must have authorized local governments to enact regulations and the local ordinance must not conflict with the state's general laws.