Deadline Nears for State Mandated
Soil Erosion Certification
Moultrie Tech Provides Required Training
MOULTRIE, GA. Those in professions requiring the use of “land disturbing activities” have a short window of opportunity to meet new certification requirements as mandated by the passage of Georgia House Bill 285 through the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission (GSWCC). By the end of 2006 it is expected that more than 20,000 individuals across the state of Georgia will have been trained and certified.
The term “land disturbing activity” is fairly broad, but it is targeted toward any activity which may result in soil erosion from water or wind. For instance, the clearing, dredging, grading, excavating or transporting of land that is a result of construction or utility work would qualify as “land disturbing.”
Moultrie Technical College ’s (MTC) Continuing Education department and the Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Institute (GESI) have created a cooperative arrangement for offering the classes for the state-required Soil Erosion Certification courses. The goal of the training is to ensure that the environment is protected during construction and developmental activities.
Beginning in July 2006 the two organizations pooled their resources to provide the community with instructors in locations convenient to southwest Georgia individuals in need of the training. The Soil Erosion Certification training must be completed by December 31, 2006, for anyone involved in land-disturbing activities.
“This is such an important community issue. We want to ensure that our service area is properly trained,” says Tonya Cooper, MTC director of continuing education.
GESI representative Damon Harper says, “We feel this training is closely related to and will fully support our other projects which focus on soil and water conservation through the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMP). These BMP’s address land use issues such as transportation, agriculture, multi-purpose/recreation, stream bank stabilization, construction, and forestry.”
“This training is an excellent example of how Economic Development is working to enhance and expand the skills of the workforce in our community,” says Carol Mathews, MTC vice-president of economic development.
The training does not apply to those involved in surface mining, granite quarrying or minor land disturbing activities such as home gardening or farm field cultivation. However, one should check with the local issuing authority for specifics to ensure compliance. Violations to the HB285 include stop orders, fees, and loss of permit, among other disciplinary actions. The consequences of being out of compliance can be exorbitant, as fees are levied per incident, per day.
Beginning January 1, 2007, any entity engaged in land disturbing activities must have at least one person on-site that has primary day-to-day operational control and is certified and in compliance with the Erosion, Sedimentation and Pollution Control Plan and permit conditions.
The GSWCC offers three different levels of certification as developed by the Commission in consultation with Georgia Environmental Protection and the Stakeholder Advisory Board. Levels are dependent on the depth of a person’s involvement with the land-disturbing process.
The course levels and scheduled dates are as follows. Level 1A courses are available on Moultrie Tech’s Tifton campus October 10 and on the Moultrie campus November 17. A Level 1B course is offered on the Tifton campus October 17 and 18. Level 2 courses are available on Moultrie Tech’s Tifton campus November 7 and 8 and on the Moultrie campus October 4 and 5.
For more information on HB285 and the certification requirements, visit http://gaswcc.georgia.gov. For more information on local training for certification and training fees, contact Tonya Cooper at Moultrie Technical College at 229-386-3169 or by email at tcooper@moultrietech.edu.
