FLOWERY BRANCH - Gov. Sonny Perdue Tuesday in south Hall County on the shores of Lake Lanier signed a state bill into law to support future water storage development and planning.
At Van Pugh Park, with drought stricken Lake Lanier as a back drop, the governor said the measure creates a new water supply division, a one-stop shop, for local governments planning future water reservoirs, but he stressed the legislation does not provide a temporary fix.
"What's happened in the past when droughts have gone away, our thinking and our management has gone away," the governor said. "It's not a situation just for the next few months or really the next few years."
The governor added the bill creates a state agency partnership; $70 million is in the state budget for reservoir planning.
The governor signed the Water Conservation and Drought Relief Act of 2008, SB 342. The legislation will expedite the construction of new reservoirs throughout the state.
Speaker Glenn Richardson, Sen. Chip Pearson of Dawson County, the sponsor of the legislation, and Chris Clark, executive director of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), participated in the bill signing event.
"Today we have taken a great step towards ensuring our state is not faced with the extreme situation the current drought has caused," Richardson said. "We are protecting our natural resources and creating the needed infrastructure by preparing now for future rain shortages."
The legislation creates a Water Supply Division (WSD) and establishes the Georgia Reservoir Fund (GRF) within GEFA. The WSD will assist local governments with the reservoir and water supply permitting process in coordination with EPD.
The WSD may also plan, design, acquire, construct, operate, manage and maintain new reservoirs on behalf of local governments. The GRF will be used for allocating the reservoir and water system infrastructure funds recommended by the governor and approved by the General Assembly.
"SB 342 is a great tool to help us build the basic infrastructure our citizens need and expect government to provide," Pearson said.
Initial funding for the Georgia Reservoir Fund was included in the Amended FY 2008 and FY 2009 budgets. In the Amended FY 2008 budget Perdue recommended, and the General Assembly appropriated, $40 million in grants for local governments to develop reservoirs. In the FY 2009 budget the governor recommended, and the General Assembly approved, $30 million in loans for local governments.
"During this drought, GEFA has provided emergency grants and loans to a variety of communities across the state," Clark said.
The legislation also seeks to minimize government expansion by requiring the WSD to use existing staff and the private sector to fulfill its mission.
Perdue was also joined at the event by Hall County's senior legislator Rep. James Mills, Rep. Bobby Reese, Rep. Mike Coan, DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb and EPD Director Carol Couch.
Thursday
April 3rd, 2025
11:55AM
