Section 12-5-582. Model ordinances for effective storm-water management and for a district-wide watershed management plan; annual review; public meetings; certification by director; local compliance

   (a) Within one year after May 1, 2001, unless such time period is extended by majority vote of the board, the district shall prepare for public comment one or more model ordinances for local governments designed to provide for effective storm-water management. Such model ordinances shall also include minimum design and development standards for local development as it may affect storm-water run-off quality and storm-water conveyance and infrastructure standards applicable to local governments. Upon receipt of public comment, the district shall finalize the model ordinances and publish the same.

(b) Within two years after May 1, 2001, unless such time period is extended by majority vote of the board, the district shall prepare for public comment a district-wide watershed management plan containing elements common to all watersheds within the district and containing within it watershed-specific components for watershed management. The plan shall build upon and be coordinated with existing watershed planning efforts undertaken by local governments and other entities in the district area and plans otherwise developed under this title. After receipt of public comment, the district shall approve the plan which shall meet all standards established by the director and shall include the following elements:

   (1) Appropriate standards and methodologies for monitoring water quality and maintaining and organizing an inventory of collected water quality data;

   (2) Descriptions of current pollutant loads by source categories, subsource categories, and specific sources where identifiable;

   (3) Forecasts of potential future pollutant load increases by virtue of new development, growth, or other changes in watershed activities;

   (4) Identification of streams or bodies of water within the applicable watershed having or requiring total maximum daily loads under applicable federal regulations; provisions for incorporating into the watershed-specific plan any implementation plan for total maximum daily loads as established by the director; and provisions to ensure that the watershed-specific plan conforms to requirements for implementation plans for streams requiring total maximum daily loads, such that said watershed-specific plan could be readily utilized by the director to meet applicable federal requirements for implementation plans for total maximum daily loads;

   (5) Establishment of priorities for protecting watershed resources and for obtaining pollutant load reductions or preventing future pollutant load increases, or both, and an explanation of the rationale for such priorities;

   (6) Identification of specific effective control programs and strategies including specific regulatory or voluntary actions to attain and maintain applicable water quality standards, including any pollutant load reductions mandated by implementation plans for total maximum daily loads; identification of specific public or private organizational responsibility for carrying out such control programs or voluntary actions, including without limitation instances where control programs require coordination among multiple jurisdictions, such that there are reasonable assurances that applicable water quality standards will be attained or maintained, or both;

   (7) The model ordinances established under subsection (a) of this Code section and any recommended additions or modifications to such model ordinances, if appropriate, to provide additional measures to improve storm-water run-off quality, including without limitation, requirements to retrofit or modify existing developments in order to improve storm-water run-off quality;

   (8) Recommended changes to state or local laws, regulations, or ordinances necessary to implement the plans;

   (9) A timetable for implementation of necessary elements of the plans for each jurisdiction including description of annual, measurable milestones for determining whether identified measures are being implemented;

   (10) Estimates of costs and identification of potential sources of funding necessary for implementation of the plans;

   (11) Education and public awareness measures regarding watershed protection; and

   (12) Establishment of short-term and long-term goals to be accomplished by the plan and measures for the assessment of progress in accomplishing such goals and plan.

(c) The district shall review the watershed management plan and its implementation annually to determine whether there is a need to update such plan and shall report to the director the progress of implementation of its goals, and in any case the district shall prepare an updated watershed management plan no less frequently than every five years after finalization of the initial plan.

(d) The district shall hold public meetings concerning any plan or updated plan developed by the district under subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this Code section and shall publish in print or electronically for public notice and comment any proposed approval, disapproval, or conditional approval of any such plan.

(e) (1) Local governments within the district shall implement the provisions of the district plans that apply to them. Should any jurisdiction fail to do so, the director shall exercise his or her powers pursuant to this chapter.

   (2) Upon the district's approval of the plan, the director may modify all existing permits under Code Sections 12-5-29, 12-5-30, 12-5-31, 12-5-96, 12-5-97, and 12-5-179 and any National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase I or Phase II General Stormwater permits to make them consistent with the plan. The director may include as a condition in any issued, modified, or renewed permit to any local government under Code Section 12-5-29, 12-5-30, 12-5-31, 12-5-96, 12-5-97, or 12-5-179 or any National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase I or Phase II General Stormwater permit the applicable contents of the district plan.

   (3) The director shall not approve any application by a local government in the district to issue, modify, or renew a permit under Code Section 12-5-29, 12-5-30, 12-5-31, 12-5-96, 12-5-97, or 12-5-179, if such permit would allow an increase in the permitted water withdrawal, public water system capacity, or waste-water treatment system capacity of such local government, or any National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase I or Phase II General Stormwater permit, unless such local government is in compliance with the applicable provisions of the plan or the director certifies to the board that such local government is making good faith efforts to come into such compliance.

   (4) Any local government that fails to adopt substantially the applicable model storm-water ordinance developed by the district under subsection (a) of this Code section, or something at least as effective as said model ordinance, and any local government that fails to adopt and implement the applicable plans developed by the district under this Code section shall be ineligible for state grants or loans for storm-water related projects determined by the director to be inconsistent with the terms of such model ordinance or such plans. The determination of the director may be appealed by the local government to the board, whose decision by majority vote shall be final.

(f) The watershed management plan shall be approved by the district only after certification by the director that the proposed plan is consistent with standards established by the director for such plan.

(g) Upon publication of the model ordinance of subsection (a) of this Code section, the district will coordinate a program to be administered by the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources to train local elected officials and other local personnel in uniform standards for the reduction or elimination of nonpoint source pollution. To the extent authorized by law, the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources shall ensure local government compliance with the model ordinance or equally effective ordinances.

Code 1981, § 12-5-582, enacted by Ga. L. 2001, p. 115, § 1; Ga. L. 2010, p. 838, § 10/SB 388; Ga. L. 2012, p. 775, § 12/HB 942.