Creating the Joint Comprehensive Water Plan Study Committee; to create the Water Plan Advisory Committee; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the task of securing sustainable water sources for Georgia while improving and preserving the quality of rivers, lakes, and ground water is very important; and

WHEREAS, since 1964, the General Assembly has passed laws relating to water quality protection and water quantity allocation; and

WHEREAS, these laws and subsequent programs form a strong foundation for water policy in Georgia; and

WHEREAS, recent stresses to Georgia´s water resources mandate a re-examination of Georgia's water policy in Georgia; and

WHEREAS, the potential for salt-water intrusion into the Floridan Aquifer in coastal Georgia is a major concern and is the subject of the interim strategy of the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources for groundwater withdrawal reduction and is the subject of ongoing scientific studies funded jointly by the State of Georgia and the private sector; and

WHEREAS, agricultural water use in the Flint River in southwest Georgia has the potential to harmfully deplete the flow of the Flint River in drought years and the Environmental Protection Division is preparing a water development and conservation plan for this area; and

WHEREAS, Georgia has been negotiating water allocation formulas with the States of Alabama and Florida under interstate water compacts for the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Flint, and Chattahoochee River Basins, and the results of these negotiations will most likely establish the basis of future water management in these basins; and

WHEREAS, the droughts of 1998, 1999, and 2000 had profound negative impacts on agriculture and on drinking water systems in Georgia; and

WHEREAS, there are many potential methods to augment water supply sources to reduce water shortages in future droughts; and

WHEREAS, there are many potential methods to reduce water demands in Georgia during drought and nondrought periods; and

WHEREAS, the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia have developed recommendations for improvements in water resource management; and

WHEREAS, the quality of Georgia´s rivers and streams is diminished by pollution from stormwater runoff; and

WHEREAS, this pollution, called "nonpoint source" pollution, cannot be corrected only by the treating of stormwater runoff but will involve new approaches to stormwater management and new approaches in land development; and

WHEREAS, many local governments are performing watershed assessments to identify and correct water pollution problems coming from stormwater runoff; and

WHEREAS, the Environmental Protection Division is preparing total maximum daily loads which allocate pollution loads in river basins; and

WHEREAS, implementation of total maximum daily load solutions will require close coordination and cooperation between state government, local government, agriculture, and business; and

WHEREAS, the metropolitan Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Business Coalition convened a task force and made suggestions for a regional approach to water quality issues in metropolitan Atlanta; and

WHEREAS, the Environmental Protection Division prepared a Water Resources Summary Document in 1986 which included plans to meet Georgia´s water needs until the year 2000; and

WHEREAS, many local governments have implemented water source enhancement - reservoirs and wells - and water conservation as outlined in the 1986 document; and

WHEREAS, additional actions are necessary to provide safe and secure water supply for predicated population growth at least 20 years into the future; and

WHEREAS, in light of the above issues it is now time to prepare a new comprehensive water plan for Georgia.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that there is created the Joint Comprehensive Water Plan Study Committee to be composed of 23 members consisting of four members of the Senate to be appointed by the President of the Senate, four members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and, as ex officio members, the chairperson of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the chairperson of the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment who shall be cochairpersons of the study committee. The President of the Senate shall appoint two additional members, one each from the following: county government, and agricultural interest groups. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two additional members, one each from the following: city government, and wildlife conservation groups. The Governor shall appoint five additional members. The director of the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources, the Commissioner of Natural Resources, the Commissioner of Agriculture, and the executive director of the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission shall all serve in ex officio capacities as members of the committee. Either chairperson may call meetings of the committee. Such appointments shall be made by May 15, 2001, with the first meeting of the study committee to occur by June 15, 2001.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall undertake a study of the water resource issues, including water quality and quantity, facing Georgia. The committee shall consider the existing policy, laws, rules, and programs to manage water resources. The committee shall recommend a process and schedule to prepare the details of a comprehensive water plan, develop the principle for a comprehensive water plan, and recommend any other action or legislation the study committee deems appropriate.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that there is created a Water Plan Advisory Committee, consisting of members of the scientific community, business community, agricultural community, environmental advocacy groups, professions with expertise in water quality and management, the academic community, representative citizen groups in each of the state´s river basins, the outdoor recreation community, and the commercial fisheries community to be selected by the cochairpersons of the Joint Comprehensive Water Plan Study Committee. The study committee cochairpersons shall appoint an advisory committee chairperson who shall be a faculty member of the University System of Georgia specializing in the natural sciences. The Water Plan Advisory Committee shall assist the study committee, as requested, in gathering information, preparing briefing documents, preparing recommendations, and evaluating proposed recommendations. The Water Plan Advisory Committee may be divided into subcommittees at the discretion of the advisory committee chairperson.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study committee may conduct such meetings at such times and places as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes for this resolution. The legislative members of the study committee shall receive the allowances authorized for legislative members of interim committees but shall receive the same for not more than ten days unless additional days are authorized. The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the Senate and House of Representatives. No allowance shall be paid for other members of the committee. The study committee shall make a report of its findings and recommendations, with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, prior to December 1, 2001. The study committee shall make a final report of its findings and recommendations with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, prior to September 1, 2002. The study committee shall stand abolished on September 1, 2002.