Oconee County Seeking Reissuance of Permit to Discharge Treated Wastewater into Barber Creek

Oconee County is seeking to renew its permit to discharge 1 million gallons per day of treated wastewater into Barber Creek, although county Utility Department Director Chris Thomas has indicated he does not plan to use the permit.

In fact, Thomas presented to the Board of Commissioners on July 26 of last year a long-range sewage and water plan that does not include construction of the sewage treatment plant on Rocky Branch Road.

The proposed plant was to replace the existing Land Application System facility on that site. The permit the county wants to renew is for that plant, which was halted after the bidding stage.

Thomas told me on Friday that announcement earlier that day of the new Caterpillar plant for the Orkin Tract at U.S. 78 and SR 316 did not change the county’s sewage plans.

Thomas said the county can treat the sewage from the Caterpillar plant at the existing LAS site, if Oconee County ends up providing sewage services.

Thomas said that Clarke and Oconee counties have not agreed on which will provide water and sewer services to the plant, and the two counties could even split the two.

The county’s request for a reissuance of the permit to discharge into Barber Creek is before the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for review.

For more information about the treatment of sewage from the Caterpillar plant and about the permit before the EPD, go to Oconee County Observations.