Georgia’s historic drought has given the issue of water management greater attention and urgency in the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly. 

As one of the fastest growing states in the nation, Georgia has witnessed rapidly increasing demands on its water resources.  The recent drought has elevated this problem to a crisis level in many regions.

The water plan issue has been one of the first items to come before this year’s legislative session.  Both the House of Representatives and State Senate have approved a resolution adopting a statewide water plan and Governor Sonny Perdue signed this measure last week. 

I believe this plan is incomplete and unbalanced.  Because of my concerns, I respectfully opposed this resolution.  I am concerned that this plan creates the potential for giving the Metropolitan Atlanta area a big straw with which to draw water from basins across the state.
 
The statewide water plan was developed by the state’s water council over a three year period of study and discussion.  The plan creates 11 regional water planning districts in the state.  These districts generally follow the political boundaries of service delivery areas created for economic development.  Many people, including me, believe that these districts should have been created to follow the natural watersheds of our state’s 14 major river basins. 

These districts will be responsible for studying and developing plans for management of water resources in Georgia.   

The resolution failed to include a prohibition against interbasin transfers.  This would leave open the controversial possibility of transferring water resources between river basins.  Not only would we have the “water war” with Florida and Alabama, we would then have the real possibility of pitting Georgians against one another.                                                                               

Finally, the resolution leaves a playing field which is not level between Atlanta and the rest of the state.  The statewide water plan does not have the force of law.  It lacks the legal protections of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, which was created in 2001.  This means Atlanta has a huge advantage over other areas of the state in terms of water resource guarantees.
 
I am hopeful that these concerns will be addressed before the end of this session.  There is no doubt that Georgia needs a statewide water plan to meet the challenges of growth and scarcity.  However, the plan must be fair and it must not create more problems than it tries to fix.
 
It is an honor to represent you in the Georgia House of Representatives.  Please do not hesitate to let me hear your views on any issue.  You may contact me by phone at (404) 656-5943 or by e-mail at dralston1@etcmail.com.