Atlanta construction sites are under scrutiny
State and federal environmental agencies are warning metropolitan Atlanta developers they they are taking a “zero tolerance” stance against construction site erosion. “There will be no letters of warning when violations are found,” state Environmental Protection Division spokesman Larry Hedges told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Construction sites in 14 metro counties have been targeted.
Violators of the new regulations, which were passed last summer, face construction shutdowns and fines of up to $50,000 a day. The newspaper quoted the USEPA as acknowledging that the state’s erosion control standards are some of the nation’s most stringent.
According to Hedges, the state EPD is more capable of enforcing the standards because it is not tied to local developers as are some city and county governments.