State Water Planning Takes Shape

State environmental officials are underway with development of water planning in Georgia. Eleven experts have been selected to serve on the state’s water planning advisory panel. They include scientists from the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, among others. They are joined by geological and environmental researchers. The group aims to help Georgia deal with a wide array of challenges with water, including the growing metro Atlanta region, plans to build new reservoirs, and how restrictions help deal with times of drought.

Tuesday roundup of bills signed by Perdue

Several bills were signed into law by Governor Perdue on Tuesday.

-Legislation approved into law that gives consumers greater protection over their credit information. Consumers for a fee can ‘freeze’ access to their information.

-Approved is a bill that creates a special fund and speeds the process for the approval of reservoirs in the state.

-Three other bills approved deal with education—-all pave a smoother path for the creation of charter schools in Georgia.

-Perdue signed into law Tuesday a measure that reworks an earlier version of the sex offenders residency law that was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court. It brings back many restrictions to fix a 2006 law that bans sex offenders from living, working or loitering within one-thousand feet of nearly anywhere children gather.

-Despite his opposition to Sunday sales of alcohol in the state, the Governor Tuesday did sign a bill that allows for beer to be sold at Gwinnett County’s new baseball stadium on Sundays next year. In addition, Perdue signed the bill to allow Georgians to buy wine over the Internet.

Hall County Plans For Growth With Second Reservoir

Expected growth in Hall County has officials preparing to build another new reservoir.

The Glade Farm reservoir in north Hall County has been in the planning stages since 2001, but officials have been waiting on permits from the state and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They hope to have those permits in hand by the end of the year.

This is the second of two new reservoirs for the county. Cedar Creek reservoir in east Hall County is complete but not yet in use. According to County administrator Jim Shuler, both are part of Hall’s long-term growth plan.

“We started permitting when the State was telling everybody build as many reservoirs as you can build because the Chattahoochee was gonna run out,” Shuler explained. “And these reservoirs, they might add ten years of growth. You gotta plan water supply planning 50 years out, 40 years out,” he said.

Shuler said it will take three to five years to complete the reservoir once all the permits are in.
The Glade Farm Reservoir will provide 4.5 million gallons a day of drinking water to Hall County residents and businesses.

State will sue Army Corps of Engineers over water

The state of Georgia will sue the Army Corps of Engineers over its water releases from Lake Lanier and the state’s federal reservoirs. Governor Sonny Perdue late Wednesday afternoon released a statement saying "the Corps’ nonsensical action to further release vital water from Georgia’s already depleted federal reservoirs must not stand". The statement continues, saying "there is simply no scientific justification to operate these reservoirs in this manner during a historic drought like the one we are experiencing. ...I must do all within my power to protect our citizens during this devastating drought".

The Corps of Engineers in a letter to the Governor earlier in the day, said it is abiding by federal guidelines, but that their officials are exploring possible drought contingency options. Last week Perdue demanded the Corps cut the release of water from north Georgia lakes, to give reservoirs time to recharge. Millions of gallons of water are sent downstream to neighboring states Alabama and Florida. The ongoing drought has heightened tensions between the three states, over how to best manage the region's limited water supply.