Georgia Wildlife Federation

Recently in Atlanta, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division unveiled its draft of the first-ever Statewide Water Management Plan and delivered it, as required by law, to the Georgia Water Council. The Council is reviewing the draft Plan and must deliver it to the General Assembly on January 14, 2008, the first day of the 2008 session.

The Georgia Wildlife Federation, through its involvement with the Georgia Water Coalition, has provided input at every opportunity. We believe that our state's waterways must be managed by a statewide water plan that protects communities downstream, as well as upstream; requires efficient water use everywhere; and always ensures water clean enough to drink. Moreover, the plan must be adequately funded, and provide for public input and local action.

The draft Water Plan misses the mark in several important ways. First, there is no mention of the cost to implement its provisions, nor does it include any recommendation on priorities, progress measurement or funding mechanisms. Yet, the draft Plan insists on enforcement of our clean water laws - in some cases, for the first time ever. New studies are urgently needed to understand our water needs and supplies. All these, and the development of regional plans, are essential, but costly, steps. We must have means to make these proposals a reality or else the Water Plan will be just another plan gathering dust on a bookshelf.

Second, the draft Plan avoids setting a specific instream flow policy or providing any process to develop one. As anglers, we know that fish need a certain amount of water in our rivers and streams to thrive and that low flows are associated with fish kills. The final Plan must ensure that there will always be enough water in our rivers, lakes, streams and estuaries to protect fish, wildlife, and recreation, as well as other values to all users upstream and downstream.

Finally, Georgia needs a water plan that unites the state, not one that divides us. The draft Plan will divide Georgia into communities that have sufficient clean water, and those who may not. Rural Georgians will compete with urban cousins. Farmers will compete with towns. This generation will be set against the next.

It is critical in the coming months prior to the General Assembly session that Georgians voice their concerns to their state leaders before the legislature votes on the final Plan. We need a water plan that takes care of every community, rural economies, rural cultures, our downstream neighbors, the dependent wildlife, and the future of Georgia's children. We must demand a water plan that is guided by downstream stewardship and a conservation conscience that will not allow the taking of water from one user over another simply because one is upstream or developing faster than the rest. We must ensure that sufficient water remains in streams and rivers to ensure a healthy environment, because this is the foundation for healthy communities. This plan must be balanced, assuring all Georgians are treated equally and fairly, including for future, downstream economic prosperity. This plan should not divide us into "two Georgias," but unite us as one.

To see what could be in store for you and your family, find the draft plan at georgiawaterplan.org. Review the plan and tell your state leaders what you think. Make sure your voice is heard!