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Officials, conservationists stew over water plan
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| April Ingle speaks about a recently passed state water plan. |
By Jeremy Styron News Editor
Conservationists and local and state officials crowded into the Kingwood Resort conference room Friday to discuss a recently passed state water plan.
The initiative, which was signed into law Feb. 6 by Gov. Sonny Perdue, has come under scrutiny from organizations concerned that the plan could pave the way for drought-starved metro Atlanta to draw water from watersheds in Rabun County and other outlying regions.
About 50 people attended the information meeting.
"I think there were mostly people at a high level of concern for the water plan and its effect on our community, especially with the whole state and the region," said Tom Fischer, chairman and founder of the Tallulah River Watershed Committee.
April Ingle, executive director with the Georgia River Network, and Sen. Nancy Schaefer presented their often differing views on the plan.
Ingle pointed to numerous flaws in the initiative, while Schaefer said she voted for the plan because Georgia needed to know how much water was available for use in its streams, rivers and lakes.
Ingle said the plan, which dissects the state into 11 planning districts, misrepresented the state's natural water boundaries, pointing to the Savannah-Upper Ogeechee District as one example. The district runs from the northeastern tip of the state along the eastern border but cuts off just above the southeastern state line. The Coastal Georgia District includes the rest of the southeastern corner.
"The people down here at the bottom ought to be talking to the people at the top," Ingle said.
Neill Herring, a lobbyist for the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club, said a high level of interest existed among state officials to retool the districts to better fit natural boundaries.
"There's going to be fights," Herring said. "I promise you all these people are going to be bickering with each other."
Ingle also expressed concerns that the plan did not protect against interbasin transfers and did not include enforceable policies to disallow such transfers.
"As this point, it's nothing more than a policy document," she said. "It's a plan to create a plan."
"We need real, enforceable standards for when we're going to allow something," Ingle added.
During her presentation, Schaefer said the plan does not OK interbasin transfers. "If it had called for (interbasin transfers), no one would have voted for (the plan)," she said. "Now, it did not rule (them) out, but it did not call for (them)."
Responding to an assertion from Ingle that Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch simply had to issue a press release to allow for such transfers, Schaefer said: "Carol Couch is not going to just issue a press release. She is not going to be a czar."
Schaefer also noted Perdue's feelings on interbasin transfers. "He is not remotely interested in sucking water from one basin to another basin."
For others, concern circled around the Metropolitan North Georgia Atlanta Planning District, a 16-county parcel of the state bordering Habersham County.
Five of the state's major rivers pass through that district, Herring said, noting that if Habersham joined the metro district, it could have access to the Savannah River Basin.
"The best thing I've heard about this is it's better than nothing," Rabun County Commissioner Pete Cleaveland said. "I'd rather have nothing."
"Central planning went out with the Soviets," he added, addressing concerns that metro Atlanta may be wresting too much control from the rest of the state.
Fischer said his committee planned to launch a Web site in the near future to provide a forum for both proponents and opponents of the plan to voice their opinions.
"It's just a matter now of providing more information so that people can decide what the heck they want to do about this whole thing," Fischer said.
Near the end of the meeting, Schaefer attempted to assure her constituents to remain calm about the plan.
"Don't panic," she said. "We've got some good people in the Capitol who care very deeply about this area."
The initiative, which was signed into law Feb. 6 by Gov. Sonny Perdue, has come under scrutiny from organizations concerned that the plan could pave the way for drought-starved metro Atlanta to draw water from watersheds in Rabun County and other outlying regions.
About 50 people attended the information meeting.
"I think there were mostly people at a high level of concern for the water plan and its effect on our community, especially with the whole state and the region," said Tom Fischer, chairman and founder of the Tallulah River Watershed Committee.
April Ingle, executive director with the Georgia River Network, and Sen. Nancy Schaefer presented their often differing views on the plan.
Ingle pointed to numerous flaws in the initiative, while Schaefer said she voted for the plan because Georgia needed to know how much water was available for use in its streams, rivers and lakes.
Ingle said the plan, which dissects the state into 11 planning districts, misrepresented the state's natural water boundaries, pointing to the Savannah-Upper Ogeechee District as one example. The district runs from the northeastern tip of the state along the eastern border but cuts off just above the southeastern state line. The Coastal Georgia District includes the rest of the southeastern corner.
"The people down here at the bottom ought to be talking to the people at the top," Ingle said.
Neill Herring, a lobbyist for the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club, said a high level of interest existed among state officials to retool the districts to better fit natural boundaries.
"There's going to be fights," Herring said. "I promise you all these people are going to be bickering with each other."
Ingle also expressed concerns that the plan did not protect against interbasin transfers and did not include enforceable policies to disallow such transfers.
"As this point, it's nothing more than a policy document," she said. "It's a plan to create a plan."
"We need real, enforceable standards for when we're going to allow something," Ingle added.
During her presentation, Schaefer said the plan does not OK interbasin transfers. "If it had called for (interbasin transfers), no one would have voted for (the plan)," she said. "Now, it did not rule (them) out, but it did not call for (them)."
Responding to an assertion from Ingle that Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch simply had to issue a press release to allow for such transfers, Schaefer said: "Carol Couch is not going to just issue a press release. She is not going to be a czar."
Schaefer also noted Perdue's feelings on interbasin transfers. "He is not remotely interested in sucking water from one basin to another basin."
For others, concern circled around the Metropolitan North Georgia Atlanta Planning District, a 16-county parcel of the state bordering Habersham County.
Five of the state's major rivers pass through that district, Herring said, noting that if Habersham joined the metro district, it could have access to the Savannah River Basin.
"The best thing I've heard about this is it's better than nothing," Rabun County Commissioner Pete Cleaveland said. "I'd rather have nothing."
"Central planning went out with the Soviets," he added, addressing concerns that metro Atlanta may be wresting too much control from the rest of the state.
Fischer said his committee planned to launch a Web site in the near future to provide a forum for both proponents and opponents of the plan to voice their opinions.
"It's just a matter now of providing more information so that people can decide what the heck they want to do about this whole thing," Fischer said.
Near the end of the meeting, Schaefer attempted to assure her constituents to remain calm about the plan.
"Don't panic," she said. "We've got some good people in the Capitol who care very deeply about this area."
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