Water Resources
Creation of a proper water management plan for the State of Georgia will require cooperation between local, state and federal officials as well as coordination of water management policies with our neighboring states. State and local action must begin with recognition that water is one of our most precious and limited resources. Policies must be established that encourage and require the conservation of water and which recognize that development policies, particularly in North Georgia, must consider how new development will affect the limited water resources, how water will be provided to the new areas of development, and how state and local governments can provide new reservoirs for drinking water and better plans for dealing with wastewater and controlling pollution of our current ground water.
On the federal level our elected officials as well as the Corp of Engineers must recognize that its operating plans are ineffective and inefficient. Lake Lanier provides an outstanding water resource for North Georgia. It provides drinking water to vast areas of North Georgia while also providing a recreational lake that makes a huge economic contribution to the entire State. Increasing water flow in the lower areas of the Chattahoochee basin by draining Lake Lanier in times of drought and low rainfall is a poor plan. Ninety-Four percent (94%) of the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint (ACF) water basin lies below Lake Lanier. Altering activities in the lower part of the basin during times of drought including agricultural activities in South Georgia and the lowering of reservoirs south of Lake Lanier can have dramatic impact on the flow rate in the lower ACF basin, and the negative effects of these actions can be overcome much more quickly than draining Lake Lanier. The accuracy of this statement is demonstrated by the fact that most reservoirs below Lake Lanier have been restored to normal levels from the fall and winter rains, while Lake Lanier remains near historic lows due to the small water shed area feeding Lake Lanier.
I will support legislative initiatives which will require better regional planning including reviewing the effect of new development on existing water resources, and initiatives to provide for responsible ways of treating waste water and reducing ground water pollution. In addition, I will support legislative proposals for water management policies that protect Lake Lanier as both a water source for North Georgia and a recreational facility of economic importance.