Jack Dozier
01-03-2008, 10:18 PM
Note: The following advisory was distributed on December 14, 2007. It is being posted as background information for subsequent advisories.
GAWP has been heavily involved in the development of the State Water Plan by providing input throughout the entire three-year planning process, which began with the passage of HB 237 in 2004. We have helped to coordinate review of the Plan by a loosely-knit coalition of water user and economic development groups which has been meeting to coordinate support for positions/wording that will make the plan better, more workable, and provide for a sensible balance between water use for human consumption and environmental values. We have made tremendous progress, and the current version (with one exception, discussed below) not only is something we can live with, but is a workable plan that will propel us forward in providing for Georgia's future. If you have not read the revised Plan, we urge you to do so now. All of the revisions have been incorporated into "Georgia's Water Resources: A Blueprint for the Future" and are available for review by going to the Water Council's website www.georgiawatercouncil.org . This document includes revisions adopted by the Water Council at their meetings held on: November 9th, 20th, 28th, December 3rd and 6th. To ensure that you are viewing the most recent edition of the Water Plan, check to make sure the header on even numbered pages reads: "EPD's Draft Submission to the Water Council, December 5th, 2007 (Updated December 7)".
The last Section of the draft Plan (Section 14) is one of the most important components, dealing with Regional Water Planning. Unfortunately, revisions to Section 14 were just released last Thursday, with very little time for comments. The revisions to Section 14 are cause for significant concern. They establish a process for appointing the Regional Water Planning Councils which will be responsible for developing regional water planning and development plans. While stakeholder groups will be invited to nominate candidates for these councils, and EPD and DCA will screen these nominations and submit a list of “pre-qualified nominees” for consideration, the appointments will be made by the Governor (who will appoint 10 members of each council), the Lt. Governor (4 appointments per council), and the Speaker of the House (4 appointments per council), with no guarantees of representation to any stakeholder group, or even that the selections will come from the pool of pre-qualified nominees. Since local government will undoubtedly be responsible for the vast majority of the costs of implementation of regional plans, it is imperative that a significant number of seats on each regional council be guaranteed to local elected or appointed officials or utility directors.
In addition to the concern expressed above, Section 14 also proposes the regional planning boundaries to be based largely on the service delivery districts as proposed by the Service Delivery Taskforce under the Commission for a New Georgia -- to overhaul and redesign the current Regional Development Center System. These districts do not follow watershed boundaries at all, seemingly in contradiction to the discussions that have taken place over the past three years that the planning should be watershed-based.
GAWP has serious concerns with the proposed make up of the regional water planning councils in the current draft plan and we have co-authored a letter of comments on this issue with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), calling for at least half of the appointees to each regional planning council to be local government officials or water utility representatives. A copy of that letter, including justification, is attached. In addition, several of our members have expressed concerns about the proposed regional planning boundaries, and have asked that we petition for a return to the concept of watershed-based boundaries, to the extent possible.
GAWP is very appreciative of the dedication and hard work of the Water Council members and their designees, as well as the countless stakeholders involved in the development of this draft Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Plan. We fully support the development of this plan, believing it essential in order to guide the state in managing our water resources both now and into the future. We are extremely pleased with the improvements that have been made to the Plan in the last few months, and with the openness and receptivity of the Water Council members to constructive comments. The concerns that we have raised during this three-year planning effort have virtually all been addressed to our satisfaction. If we can get the issues of regional council representation and regional boundaries resolved, GAWP intends to fully support the Plan, and we will urge our members to lend their support to it as well. There may be other minor glitches, but the Plan will never be able to satisfy us, or any other stakeholder, in every respect, and the current draft is far better than any alternative that could result from the convoluted process that will go into effect if the General Assembly doesn't approve the Plan which is submitted to them. It is extremely important that the Plan which is adopted by the Water Council is sound, because we don't want to send an inadequate Plan to the General Assembly and invite the introduction of alternate plans. Once we are satisfied that the Plan is indeed sound, it is also extremely important that we give it our full support, and that we contact our State Representatives and Senators to urge them to adopt the Plan.
Stay tuned!
Jack C. Dozier, P.E., CAE, Executive Director
Georgia Association of Water Professionals (gawp.org)
2121 New Market Parkway, Suite 144
Marietta, GA 30067
Phone: (770) 618-8690
Fax: (770) 618-8695
E-mail: jdozier@gawp.org
GAWP has been heavily involved in the development of the State Water Plan by providing input throughout the entire three-year planning process, which began with the passage of HB 237 in 2004. We have helped to coordinate review of the Plan by a loosely-knit coalition of water user and economic development groups which has been meeting to coordinate support for positions/wording that will make the plan better, more workable, and provide for a sensible balance between water use for human consumption and environmental values. We have made tremendous progress, and the current version (with one exception, discussed below) not only is something we can live with, but is a workable plan that will propel us forward in providing for Georgia's future. If you have not read the revised Plan, we urge you to do so now. All of the revisions have been incorporated into "Georgia's Water Resources: A Blueprint for the Future" and are available for review by going to the Water Council's website www.georgiawatercouncil.org . This document includes revisions adopted by the Water Council at their meetings held on: November 9th, 20th, 28th, December 3rd and 6th. To ensure that you are viewing the most recent edition of the Water Plan, check to make sure the header on even numbered pages reads: "EPD's Draft Submission to the Water Council, December 5th, 2007 (Updated December 7)".
The last Section of the draft Plan (Section 14) is one of the most important components, dealing with Regional Water Planning. Unfortunately, revisions to Section 14 were just released last Thursday, with very little time for comments. The revisions to Section 14 are cause for significant concern. They establish a process for appointing the Regional Water Planning Councils which will be responsible for developing regional water planning and development plans. While stakeholder groups will be invited to nominate candidates for these councils, and EPD and DCA will screen these nominations and submit a list of “pre-qualified nominees” for consideration, the appointments will be made by the Governor (who will appoint 10 members of each council), the Lt. Governor (4 appointments per council), and the Speaker of the House (4 appointments per council), with no guarantees of representation to any stakeholder group, or even that the selections will come from the pool of pre-qualified nominees. Since local government will undoubtedly be responsible for the vast majority of the costs of implementation of regional plans, it is imperative that a significant number of seats on each regional council be guaranteed to local elected or appointed officials or utility directors.
In addition to the concern expressed above, Section 14 also proposes the regional planning boundaries to be based largely on the service delivery districts as proposed by the Service Delivery Taskforce under the Commission for a New Georgia -- to overhaul and redesign the current Regional Development Center System. These districts do not follow watershed boundaries at all, seemingly in contradiction to the discussions that have taken place over the past three years that the planning should be watershed-based.
GAWP has serious concerns with the proposed make up of the regional water planning councils in the current draft plan and we have co-authored a letter of comments on this issue with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), calling for at least half of the appointees to each regional planning council to be local government officials or water utility representatives. A copy of that letter, including justification, is attached. In addition, several of our members have expressed concerns about the proposed regional planning boundaries, and have asked that we petition for a return to the concept of watershed-based boundaries, to the extent possible.
GAWP is very appreciative of the dedication and hard work of the Water Council members and their designees, as well as the countless stakeholders involved in the development of this draft Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Plan. We fully support the development of this plan, believing it essential in order to guide the state in managing our water resources both now and into the future. We are extremely pleased with the improvements that have been made to the Plan in the last few months, and with the openness and receptivity of the Water Council members to constructive comments. The concerns that we have raised during this three-year planning effort have virtually all been addressed to our satisfaction. If we can get the issues of regional council representation and regional boundaries resolved, GAWP intends to fully support the Plan, and we will urge our members to lend their support to it as well. There may be other minor glitches, but the Plan will never be able to satisfy us, or any other stakeholder, in every respect, and the current draft is far better than any alternative that could result from the convoluted process that will go into effect if the General Assembly doesn't approve the Plan which is submitted to them. It is extremely important that the Plan which is adopted by the Water Council is sound, because we don't want to send an inadequate Plan to the General Assembly and invite the introduction of alternate plans. Once we are satisfied that the Plan is indeed sound, it is also extremely important that we give it our full support, and that we contact our State Representatives and Senators to urge them to adopt the Plan.
Stay tuned!
Jack C. Dozier, P.E., CAE, Executive Director
Georgia Association of Water Professionals (gawp.org)
2121 New Market Parkway, Suite 144
Marietta, GA 30067
Phone: (770) 618-8690
Fax: (770) 618-8695
E-mail: jdozier@gawp.org