Rainwater Harvesting Guidelines Considered

Changes to Georgia's water policy could mean rainwater may become popular for use in toilets.

The changes haven't been made final, but water conservation advocates are hopeful Georgia's Department of Community Affairs will approve a unified code for rainwater harvesting.

That water, collected from roof tops and other receptacles during rainstorms, could then be used in toilets or for watering plants, among other applications.

Unifying the code would make collecting rain a bit more difficult than just setting up a rain bucket outside. Harvesting requires an investment in equipment, including pumps, filters and hoses, says Dan Young.

Young works for Aqua irrigation based in Marietta.

"Typically on a homeowners rainwater harvesting system, you're looking at spending anywhere from 8,000 dollars to anywhere from 75,000-100,000 dollars."

That high dollar figure is for fitting large homes and commercial properties. Young, along with a national trade group, says when Georgia changes their policies on harvesting, and creates best practice guidelines, the prices of the equipment and labor will fall in the state.

Young estimates the average home could reduce water usage by a third with the proper equipment.

The DCA is expected to issue their final draft rules by this summer.

"Green" sales tax holiday starts at midnight

Georgia officials hope to again encourage energy and water conservation through a sales-tax holiday, which starts just past midnight tonight--running through midnight Sunday.

Certain appliances and items with the ENERGY STAR label are exempt from state and local taxes, and a new provision this year also includes specific water efficient products in the tax-holiday.

There has been advance interest in the tax-free period. Michael Thornton is sales manager with the H.H.Gregg store in Douglasville:

"They’ve been coming-in about three weeks before this tax time inquiring about it. They want to find out exactly what models qualify".

However, Thornton says he doesn’t have a good gauge for how consumer traffic might be this weekend given the economic downturn. He notes lower customer volume through their store for the last few weeks.

For a list of tax-break approved items you can buy, go to the Georgia Department of Revenue website: dor.ga.gov

Perdue shines conservation light on Covington plant

In the face of the state’s historic drought, Governor Sonny Perdue was in Newton County Wednesday to shine a light on a food production plant’s water conservation efforts.

Perdue lauded a General Mills plant in Covington and its state-of-the-art water treatment facility. Company officials say since coming on-line two years ago, the system has cut the plant’s water costs in half by recycling water. They say the system has saved 100-million gallons of water so far.

Perdue says those savings can grow the surrounding area:

"It means that the cap-the permitting capacity of water treatment that this community was under, will be able to be utilized for more people who want to come here, and to grow the community economically, grow it from a talent perspective and grow it from a employee perspective".

Perdue says north Georgia needs to keep saving water to boost the region’s largest reservoirs.

Last month, Lake Lanier got some help from Mother Nature--rain from Tropical Storm Fay help raise Lanier by almost 2-and-a-half feet.

Water use down in north Georgia

There is praise for residents of north Georgia. The state’s top environmental official says the region used 20-percent rectorcless water in June, compared to June of last year. State Enviromental Protection Division director Carol Couch says good conservation choices and outdoor watering restrictions have had the positive effect on saving water. Officials estimate conservation measures has resulted in a savings of 180-million gallons of water a day.

Drought relief legislation now law

Governor Sonny Perdue signed the Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act of 2008, SB 342. The legislation will expedite the construction of new reservoirs throughout the state.

The Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act of 2008 brings state agencies together to ease reservoir construction and expansion. The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) will assist local governments' efforts to expedite aspects of permitting for new reservoir applications. This legislation creates a Water Supply Division (WSD) and establishes the Georgia Reservoir Fund (GRF) within GEFA.

The WSD will assist local governments with the reservoir and water supply permitting process in coordination with EPD. The WSD may also plan, design, acquire, construct, operate, manage and maintain new reservoirs on behalf of local governments. The GRF will be used for allocating the reservoir and water system infrastructure funds recommended by the Governor and approved by the General Assembly.

Initial funding for the Georgia Reservoir Fund was included in the Amended FY 2008 and FY 2009 budgets. In the Amended FY 2008 budget, Governor Perdue recommended, and the General Assembly appropriated, $40 million in grants for local governments to develop reservoirs. In the FY 2009 budget, the Governor recommended, and the General Assembly approved, $30 million in loans for local governments.

The legislation also seeks to minimize government expansion by requiring the WSD to use existing staff and the private sector to fulfill its mission. One final provision of this legislation emphasizes the importance of water-efficient products by extending the same sales tax break to qualified water-saving items during the upcoming sales tax holiday.

Northeast Georgia extends outdoor water ban

Officials in a northeast Georgia county have voted to extend the outdoor watering ban. Jackson County voted yesterday to ban concrete contractors, pavers, pressure washers and hydro-seeders from using county waters. Brick masons and car washes still will be able to use county water, but car washes will be asked to conserve and cut their consumption by 40 percent to 50 percent. Landscapers were already banned from using county water.

Companies struggle to slash water use by 10 percent

Today's the first day that city and county water utility companies in North Georgia are working under tighter state limits. But many are still hashing out how, exactly, to get their customers to use less water.

Last week, Governor Sonny Perdue ordered water withdrawal permit-holders to reduce their water usage by 10 percent between November and March. Kevin Chambers, spokesperson for Georgia's Environmental Protection Division, says it's OK that some counties and municipalities haven't figured out how to do that yet:

"Many of them have called us for guidance on this as well. And what we're recommending they do is identify their big users, if they've got industry that is using significant amounts of water, to work with industry to try to reduce their water use."

Some counties are looking into incentives. Gwinnett County, for example, is considering rebates for people who replace their toilets with low-flush toilets. Both the city of Atlanta and DeKalb County are expected to announce concrete water-saving measures tomorrow.

Conservation groups grade state's water use

State conservation groups are set to release a report today that grades Georgia’s water efficiency during this drought. Booming growth is expected to be pointed out as a reason and factor in the water shortage. Last week, Governor Sonny Perdue dismissed the idea during a press conference. This report arrives as Perdue is set to join the governors of Alabama and Florida in meeting with President Bush tomorrow in Washington. They’ll try to work-out a truce in the water wars.

Cartersville beer maker enacts conservation measures

Cartersville is home to the fourth largest Anheuser-Busch beer production plant in the country. Anheuser-Busch officials are trying to figure out how to conserve more water and have spent the past five months trying to come up with a plan--one that still hasn't been decided upon.

As of now, the company is re-using rinse water for heating and cooling, and asking their some 600 employees to conserve water at home.

Bartow County Chamber of Commerce President Kay Read says if jobs at Anheuser-Busch are affected by the drought, Bartow won't be the only county to suffer.

"The tax revenues come to us, they also go to the state, but they also go to other counties where people travel here to be employed".

Bartow County houses two major water users: Anheuser-Busch and Georgia Power's Plant Bowen--both consume water from the Etowah River.

Drought threatens upcoming golf classic

The impact of this year's drought could jeopardize one of Georgia's most popular sporting events.

The annual spring AT&T classic at the Sugarloaf Country Club in Gwinnett County, means $20 million to the state's bottom line.

And, although Sugarloaf uses rain collected in nearby retention ponds, officials hope the state will grant a watering ban exemption.

Mike Crawford is Sugarloaf's superintendent.

"If we were to lose the ability to water our greens, I think you would see a lot of golf courses and a lot of business in the state be seriously affected, and potentially in the long run could have to close their doors."

Current law prohibits Sugarloaf from using water hazards on its course to keep the bluegrass green.

Cooler temperatures and recent rains mean the course has not had to draw from its retention ponds.

Still, the course has no contingency plan. Instead, they’re relying on a wet spring and the state for drought relief.

Cobb County to vote on water-saving toilets

Following Governor Perdue's order that public utilities reduce water consumption, one metro-Atlanta county will vote tonight on a new water-saving rebate plan for its customers. Federal law says all new construction must include low-flow, water-saving toilets. Now, officials in Cobb County want to offer customers in older homes, a chance to turn in their outdated water guzzling fixtures for newer models. They're willing to pay up to $100 per unit to persuade residents and businesses to do just that. Kathy Ngyuen is with Cobb County's water system. She says the plan was slated to kick off in 2008, but current drought conditions forced an early implementation:

"The Governor has mandated that all water utilities in the 61 counties in Georgia, achieve a 10 percent reduction over winter use. What that essentially means is a serious reduction in indoor water use and we think this program will be very effective in helping us achieve that."

The county has set aside $100 dollars to pay for the low-flow toilets, which use less than 1-1/2 gallons of water per flush versus the older models which can use up to 5 gallons each time they're flushed. Nearly 90,000 customers of the Cobb County water system are eligible to participate, and can receive up to $100 for each unit installed, to a maximum of three.

Augustans react to state water plan

Residents and politicians in Augusta are worried that a proposal for long-term water management in Georgia may hurt water resources in their area. In a public hearing on Monday in Augusta, many voiced concerns that the plan may easily allow water transfers out of the Savannah River basin to supply water for metropolitan Atlanta, potentially threatening water resources in eastern Georgia. State officials are holding 12 public hearings across the state this month on its draft comprehensive statewide water management plan. They expect to bring the plan before legislators early next year.

Atlanta officials urging water conservation

Officials in Atlanta are urging metro residents to do what they can to conserve water. Calling the drought "of historic magnitude", the city’s water chief said Thursday that Lake Lanier--the metro area’s main water supply--contains enough water to last only four months. State officials recently banned 61 counties in north Georgia from any outdoor watering. Atlanta officials say they’re doing what they can to make improvements and repairs on its aging water system. They acknowledge about 14-percent of water pumped-per-day is wasted in the system.