Comments (0) | |

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

Regional water councils appointed

A Middle Georgia dairyman, a peach farmer, a wildlife biologist and a park volunteer are among those who will be responsible for making key decisions about the long-term use of water in the Ocmulgee River basin.

Their names, and the names of more than 20 others who were appointed to the regional water council, were announced by Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office Wednesday.

The 10 regional councils, plus the existing Atlanta-area planning district, are the cornerstone of the state’s new water planning process. They are charged with creating regional water development and conservation plans for each of Georgia’s major river basins. The plans are supposed to protect both water quality and quantity, based on forecasts of future water and wastewater needs.

The governor selected 13 members of each council and an alternate. Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and the speaker of the House, Glen Richardson, chose the remaining members, as well as nonvoting representatives from the state Senate and House.

Nominations were collected by the state Environmental Protection Division, which received 686 altogether, said EPD communications director Kevin Chambers.

The Middle Ocmulgee water council includes many government officials and people with backgrounds in forestry, biology and conservation.

Hawkinsville veterinarian and council member John Bembry said he hopes to see the regional groups address the threat of unplanned growth in the state.

But Bembry noted that the recession has replaced last year’s historic drought as a leading concern in Georgia. The drought has eased as Georgia’s economic crunch deepened, leading to the removal of funding for new reservoirs.

“The immediate concern I have is funding for the councils to function at all,” said Bembry, a tree farmer who is a Georgia Conservancy trustee and member of the state Land Conservation Council. “Certainly when somebody’s out of a job, they’re not nearly as concerned about whether the spigot is going to turn on or whether the river is polluted.

“But economic development is going to be dependent on Georgia’s proper management of our water resources,” he added.

Middle Georgia farmers appointed to the Middle Ocmulgee Water Council include Robert Dickey, who owns a Musella peach farm; Jim Ham, who raises beef cattle in Monroe County; Charles Harris, who runs a dairy farm in Musella; and Ben Copeland, vice president of Super Sod in Peach County.

“I want to make sure farmers use the resource wisely and that it’s used to benefit the economy of the whole state,” Copeland said. “In Middle Georgia, we are well blessed with water, especially compared to other parts of the state. ... I think there is great wisdom in having these regional water councils instead of one-size-fits-all solutions that work for Atlanta but don’t work for anybody else.”

Industries including landscaping, car washing, engineering, natural gas and surveying are represented on the council.

Tony Rojas, director of the Macon Water Authority and a water council member, said he is most interested in how the regional plans will fit together.

“What if our plan doesn’t fit in with others? How will they handle it?” he asked, adding that he’ll pay special attention to any new reservoirs proposed upstream.

Chambers said the regional councils will hold a kickoff meeting with training provided by the EPD early in March.

Once the groups have estimated their region’s anticipated water needs for the next 40 years, they are supposed to choose strategies for filling any gaps, according to the state water planning Web site.

According to state legislation, regional plans will be reviewed by the EPD and opened to public comment about the end of 2010, with final versions adopted by EPD in 2011.

To contact writer S. Heather Duncan, call 744-4225.