Murray County storm water update pointed to some positives  as part of the phase II MS4 permit.

Dick Barnes, Land Use Administrator, said the county has created Green Infrastructure/Low Impact Development (GI/LID) Program, which offers storm water options with a low environmental impact.

“This is a big one,” said Barnes. “However, we haven’t had any one use it because those options are expensive.”

Another positive pointed out was the fact that Chatsworth Water Works Commission added a Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC) Level II Plan Reviewer Certification, allowing Murray County to use their expertise.

“We don’t have to sent it off for review and pay for those services,” Barnes said.

Other updates include:

• Post-Construction Stormwater Development requires the first one inch of rainfall to be retained onsite if feasible.
• Linear Transportation Projects developed by the permittee, local government, or other authorities, are now required to be held to the same post-construction performance standards as other developments and redevelopments. We will create feasibility study to be used on Linear Transportation Projects to determine the feasibility of Stormwater Management. Once it is developed and submitted to the EPD, we can begin implementing the new requirements.
• Comments and requests from EPD about the Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) and/or annual report submission items are ongoing but have been greatly reduced. Most comments from EPD involved improvements to documenting waste disposal and clean-up activities and inspection and maintenance activities.
• As part of the SWMP and to meet best management practice requirements, we are planning on publishing an article in local media before the end of the year to raise awareness about Municipal Stormwater in Murray County, the stormwater website, as well as the contracts for the Stormwater offices, and the services that they provide to the public.

OPINION-WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEARTS OF MEN

• Stormwater monitoring, inspection, maintenance, and GIS mapping activities are ongoing.
• There have been no stormwater quality related complaints reported from citizens so far this year.
• County personnel will receive stormwater training in December.

DDS changes

Billy Childers, tax commissioner said residents can expect changes to the Department of Driver Services as it upgrades to a new system. Childers shared an email from Brent Bennet, director of motor vehicles services for the state.

Their system will be down from Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 7p.m. until Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021 when it will be fully operational.

“Tax Commissioners may want to update their message on renewal notices to reflect changes in hours of operation for Motor Vehicle services.  There will be no renewal notice insert this time unless you specifically reach out to Datamatx with a special arrangement,” the email stated. “Unlike before when we converted from GRATIS to DRIVES, there is no need to shutdown e-Services days in advance.  Tasks resulting from customers submitting transactions online can be completed by the counties after the upgrade.”