The Vinson Institute's Environmental Policy Program is providing policy research and technical support to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for developing the Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Plan. Research activities are focused on:

• Minimizing water withdrawals (conservation, reuse, and efficiency);
• Maximizing water returns (limiting interbasin transfers, land application of treated wastewater, and use of septic tanks and public wastewater systems);
• Meeting instream and offstream needs (water storage and demand reduction); and
• Meeting assimilative capacity needs (reducing wastewater discharges and runoff from land).

The plan is to be provided to the Georgia Water Council for its review by July 2007 and to the Georgia General Assembly for its consideration during the 2008 legislative session.

Georgia Water Council