As many of you know, the state of Georgia, especially our region of North Georgia is in the midst of one of the worst droughts in our history.  After concluding that Lake Lanier has only an approximate 90-day water supply remaining, experts from our Environmental Protection Division (EPD) have sounded the alarm bells.  In response, Governor Perdue has declared a statewide outdoor watering ban, and requested that water permit holders cut usage by a minimum of ten percent in the upcoming months.  This crisis isn’t just about dry lawns, dying flowers and dirty cars any longer.  The drought and the resulting water restrictions have begun to negatively impact our state’s businesses and our economy. 

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of joining together with Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson to announce a plan that provides real, long-term solutions to some of our water issues.  While water conservation is the first logical step to protecting our supply, many experts have stated that conservation will not reverse the effects of this historic drought.  This is why we plan to introduce the Reservoir Development and Drought Relief Act in the upcoming 2008 Legislative Session.  The current drought situation underscores our need for enhanced water storage, and I am honored that leaders in the Senate and House have asked me to carry this legislation as it moves through the legislative process. 

If passed, the Reservoir Development and Drought Relief Act will make the state of Georgia a partner with local governments and water authorities in enhancing our state’s water storage capacity.  Under this legislation, communities can apply for funding to enlarge existing reservoirs and obtain permits to construct new ones.  Additionally, the bill will make the state a true partner with local communities to secure federal permits necessary to build reservoirs by offering a one-stop shop for all of the state components of a federal reservoir application.  The bill will tighten deadlines for the EPD to make a final determination of permit application packages for federal purposes, as well as approving state permits.  

It is critically important to increase our water supply in order to avoid crises like the one we are in today.  By partnering with local governments and water authorities and cutting through some of the red tape that comes with reservoir development, we are confident we can capture more rainfall and meet the needs of our state.  North Georgia has the second highest amount of average rainfall after the Pacific Northwest, and our state averages 50 trillion gallons of rainfall per year.  Atlanta’s average use of water is about one trillion gallons per year.  It is obvious that we need to find more storage for this valuable resource, rather than continuing to let it all flow downstream.

Cutting back needless water releases

In addition to increasing our capacity to store water, we must address problems caused by the Army Corps of Engineers.  There is no doubt that we are in a crisis situation in many parts of Georgia, particularly in metro Atlanta.  This situation is the result of numerous factors.  However, the key issues to this point are a sustained drought and the failure of the Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take any corrective action to adjust downstream water flows in line with decreasing rainfall. 

Conservation is important, but we cannot conserve our way out of this problem.  The Corps is currently releasing several times the metro area’s water usage from our reservoirs solely to accommodate mussels and sturgeon downstream.  If we reduced our consumption to zero, we would still run out of water because of these massive downstream releases. 

Alabama and Florida are being minimally impacted by this situation when compared to Georgia.  There is absolutely no reason why they should not be willing to accept reduced flows given the severity of the crisis.  Their current position is not much different than refusing to help a neighbor put out a fire because you don’t want to pay for the increased water bill.

Environmental extremists who want to blame Georgia residents for the drought are acting with an even greater level of irresponsibility.  It is important to remember that the only reason there is any water moving downstream is because man-made reservoirs – many of which are opposed by the same special interests – are storing water for that purpose.  Additionally, critics should also remember that releasing too much water today will lead to no water being available tomorrow.  This outcome would be as bad for downstream species as it would be for humans upstream. 

Our water issues have now moved to the forefront of the debate and onto the headlines.  Along with the Statewide Water Plan, the Reservoir Development and Drought Relief Act will be a big issue during the next Legislative Session.  It is important that all Georgians know our state’s current water issues, including how dry weather conditions affect us and ways in which citizens can conserve our water supply.  Without long-term water planning that includes plans for increasing our reservoir capacity, we will only see our lake levels get lower and more watering restrictions imposed on our citizens.