Water

Conservation ★ Negotiation ★ Swift Action ★ Leadership

Overcoming Our Water Crisis

Even though we've had a year of plentiful rain, Georgia continues to face a long-term water crisis. Last summer's ruling by Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson stated that residential water usage was not an authorized purpose for water in Lake Lanier, and he gave Georgia three years to secure congressional approval or reach an agreement among the three states that share the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin.

The Chattahoochee River travels from Habersham County across the state to the Alabama line and down to Florida (27 counties and more than 60 cities). Currently 3.5 million people in northeast Georgia and the greater metro Atlanta area use more than 400 million gallons of water a day from Lake Lanier. With this ruling and a continued lack of a political solution, the clock is ticking, and the economic future of Atlanta and North Georgia hangs in the balance. In addition, a similar lawsuit on whether Georgia can use Lake Allatoona as a water source will be heard in the U.S. District Court in Birmingham in 2010. Simply put, Georgia faces a genuine crisis that demands immediate action.

Action Items

We need a Governor who will think strategically and negotiate a sensible agreement that is fair to all parties involved, upstream and downstream. We've spent more than enough taxpayer dollars on lawyers, lawsuits and new studies; now is the time for real statesmanship and action.

As Governor, I will:

• Create a Culture of Conservation in Government - I'll sign an Executive Order directing state agencies to utilize "green technology," create efficient and innovative conservation programs and provide technical assistance to local governments and businesses on efficient water usage, making Georgia a national model for sensible water conservation and green energy practices.
• Incentivize Private Water Conservation and Efficiency Practices - I'll create conservation tax credits for families and businesses that will encourage Georgians to purchase and install low-flow washing machines, toilets, faucets, showers, drought-resistant landscapes, and other water conservation measures. In metro Atlanta alone, using low-flow toilets could save 42 million gallons of water a day by 2030.
• Require High-Efficiency Plumbing/Cooling and Sub-Metering for New Buildings - I'll advocate for legislation requiring high-efficiency plumbing and cooling systems in all new construction. Also, new, multi-family residential buildings must install meters in each unit and bill individuals. This will make each tenant more aware of his/her water consumption.
• Mandate Schedule for Outdoor Watering - I'll limit inefficient landscape watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. when there is a high rate of evaporation. We need a permanent schedule for outdoor watering that maintains the current commonsense exemptions to watering limits.
• Support Local Government Conservation Efforts - I'll work with local governments, respect their local control and support new ideas and initiatives, such as limited use of grey water. In addition, some communities lose as much as 16% of their water supply to leaks and other unaccounted for uses, so I will support leak detection and mitigation plans. I'll also protect the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority's portfolio to make sure resources are available for future needs.
• Reach an Accord with Our Neighbors in Florida and Alabama - I will preserve the economic viability of the region and ensure household water availability by engaging in regional diplomacy, working with the new border-state Governors to reach a sensible water usage plan that is fair to all parties involved, upstream and downstream. As your Governor, I will take advantage of this fresh start and take the necessary steps to prove that we are taking our water crisis seriously and that we will negotiate with integrity. I am the leader who will bring all the stakeholders to the table as often as it takes to reach an equitable agreement.
• Expand Water Storage Capacity - Long-term plans will begin with immediate action, and we can create construction and infrastructure management jobs right away by raising the levels of some dams to expand current reservoirs. More than a dozen could be holding significantly more water with minimal impact on the environment. If necessary, I will also accelerate new reservoir construction.

Statewide Plan at the Heart of Regional Needs

As your Governor, I will make drought and water supply planning year-round and far-sighted efforts, not a series of press events. And my statewide water plan will be based on the river basins, not political boundaries. The "savings" from our new culture of conservation and other smart growth measures will help us reduce or eliminate interbasin transfers, restore the health of our rivers and maintain the long-term economic vitality of downstream communities.

The realities of our complex and inter-connected region must be faced with sound science. We have to use consistent, fact-based measurements to evaluate our water resources. We must recognize the needs of our neighboring states and all of our statewide stakeholders and share the water to irrigate farmland, to cool power plants, to produce hydropower and to provide recreation.

Strong Leadership Finds Solutions

Water may not be the flashiest issue in the Governor's race, but it could be the most important because of its critical impact on future economic development and our quality of life. Solving our water crisis is a core issue in my campaign, and I'm the only candidate for Governor proposing a water plan that will not only provide for our short-term water needs but also set the stage for ample water resources to continue to attract new jobs and industry.

As your Governor, the first major policy initiative of my administration will be to beat this ticking clock of the summer 2012 deadline, and I sincerely believe that we can reach an accord with our neighbors in Florida and Alabama. And to be clear, this water crisis is a challenge I will overcome.