Water Coalition Calls For Statewide Water Management Plan
That Protects Water as a Public Resource
Note: From June through September, Center staff participated in a series of Georgia
Water Coalition meetings to discuss a wide range of water policy issues for Georgia.
The following is a recent press release issued by the Coalition summarizing the
recommendations that resulted from that collaborative effort. This is a topic of
the highest priority, and the Center urges all our members and supporters to voice
their informed concerns to Georgia legislators. We will provide further information
and assistance as needed - please call, or check our website for more details.
See sign the statement below to save Georgia's water!
(Atlanta, Ga.) The Georgia Water Coalition, an alliance of over 40 environmental, government and
citizen groups throughout the state released a report today outlining four key principles and 25
recommendations to guide water policy in Georgia. The group shared a copy of their report with
Governor-Elect Perdue's office last week. They will make the report available to Georgia legislators
next week as they convene in Athens, Georgia, for the 23rd Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators
December 8-10. On December 10, John Sibley, President of The Georgia Conservancy, represented the
Georgia Water Coalition on a panel that discussed state water issues.
The report's four key principles are:
1. That the surface and ground waters of the state continue to be a public resource managed in
the public interest and in a sustainable manner by the State to protect natural systems and meet human
and economic needs;
2. That water management must be guided by a comprehensive state water management plan, developed
by a lead agency with a dedicated planning staff, in coordination with other agencies and with the
participation of all interested citizens;
3. That effective water management requires regional water planning, based on watersheds, river
basins and aquifers, that is tied to implementation including an adaptive management process;
4. That regulation of interbasin transfers must be strengthened to reflect scientific knowledge,
respect natural systems, and protect the basins of origin and receipt.
YOUR ACTION NEEDED NOW!
Sign Below to Save Georgia's Water
The Georgia House and Senate will be formulating guidelines in the first few months of 2003 to plan how
the state of Georgia will manage water in the future. It is important that your senator and
representative know that their constituents want clean water that is available to everyone - for our
farms, businesses, and homes. Georgia's water should be managed for all the people of the state, not
just special interests.
Accordingly, the Georgia Water Coalition (see cover article) is circulating a petition, and as a
coalition member we ask you to join more than a thousand other Georgia citizens by copying and
signing the following statement and returning it to the Center as soon as possible.
(Return envelope provided in this issue.)
"We, the undersigned, believe that the surface and ground waters of the state should
continue to be a public resource and should be managed in the public interest and in a
sustainable manner by the state to protect natural systems and meet human and economic needs.
Legislation that is passed in the 2003 General Assembly should reflect these ideas."
Signed ____________________________________
Address__________________________
City/Zip__________________________
 |
