Georgia’s population has been growing for many years, but many of its population centers are not located near Georgia’s largest rivers.  Supplying water to the people of Georgia requires careful planning and coordination, both of which are goals of the 2004 State Water Management Act.  In response to this act, the state adopted a State Water Plan in 2008 to help achieve sustainable management of water for the economy, public health, natural systems, and quality of life.  To better assess the available resource and needs, the plan divided the state into planning regions, each with its own plan.  The Coosa-North Georgia Region covers parts of the Tennessee, Coosa and Chattahoochee River Basins, and lies in the Georgia mountains, the headwater region for these vital river systems.

The Coosa-North Georgia Regional Water Planning Council provides guidance and oversight to Georgia EPD and the consultant who assists in updating the Coosa-North Georgia Regional Water Plan.  Council Chairman Brooke Anderson says, “This Plan assesses the Region’s current and future water and wastewater needs.  It focuses water conservation, water supply, wastewater and water quality.  The Plan also describes management practices that can be implemented through collaboration between local, regional, and state entities. It presents realistic and measurable benchmarks to track short-term and long-term progress toward implementing these management practices. The Plan lays out a roadmap for implementing specific measures designed to ensure wise use and management of the Coosa-North Georgia Region’s water over the next 50 years.

The North Georgia Regional Water Resources Partnership is a group of water professionals that gives technical advice to the Regional Water Planning Council.  They have lead studies in important water management issues such as regional water supply emergency connectivity, nutrients in agricultural runoff, and novel management measures for phosphate and nitrogen management such as nutrient trading.  The Partnership meets monthly so members can network and hosts annual educational seminars at outstanding venues like the Tellus Museum and Booth Western Art Museum to allow water resource professionals to gain continuing education credits.  This year’s annual seminar is online on Oct 14, 2020, and registration is available by contacting Diane Christian, dchristian@nwgrc.org.  Don’t miss this excellent opportunity to learn about the latest developments in water policy and management.