The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has received an application for a buffer variance involving a stormwater detention wall project in Mableton. The public is invited to submit comments on the proposal during a 30-day review period.

To read the notice from the EPD, follow this link.

The application, filed under the Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (O.C.G.A. § 12-7-1 et seq.), seeks permission to encroach on the state-mandated 25-foot buffer adjacent to state waters. The request falls under Rule 391-3-7-.05(2)(a), which outlines specific conditions under which such variances may be granted.

The proposed project calls for the repair and reconstruction of a collapsed stormwater detention wall on an unnamed tributary to Nickajack Creek, part of the Middle Chattahoochee Watershed. The activity will require the disturbance of approximately 107 linear feet—or 4,094 square feet—of buffer area over an estimated six-month period.

According to the application, the disturbance is necessary to remove debris, manage changes in water flow, and address scouring caused by the wall’s partial collapse. A revegetation plan and erosion control measures have been proposed to minimize environmental impacts.

Site plans are available for public review at the EPD Watershed Protection Branch File Room, located at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, West Tower, Balcony, Suite 418, Atlanta, GA 30334. Appointments to review the plans can be scheduled by contacting GORArequest.Water@dnr.ga.gov.

Written comments may be sent via email to EPDcomments@dnr.ga.gov or by mail to the Program Manager, Nonpoint Source Program, Erosion and Sedimentation Control, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, Suite 1452 East, Atlanta, GA 30334. Submissions should include the subject line “Buffer Variance Comment” along with the associated control number to ensure proper routing.

The application was submitted by Alicia Giddens, a deputy director of the Cobb County Water System

Only comments addressing environmental concerns related to air, water, and land protection will be considered during the application review process. Zoning and land use issues fall outside the EPD’s jurisdiction.