Water
While our region is blessed with abundant water, the supply is not infinite. We now face shortages due to a ballooning population, rapid development, and extended droughts. Managing our water resources is critical not only to our existing businesses and residents, but also to attract new businesses and people to Georgia.
Conservation
In my view, the bedrock of any water strategy must be an increase in conservation and reduction in demand. Georgians responded admirably to the recent droughts, but we must do more and make the improvements permanent.
- We must educate our residents about water conservation and incentivize use of water-saving appliances, and other residential and commercial products and procedures that reduce the consumptive use of water.
- We should also incentivize the use of water-saving technology and design in any new construction, to ensure that our built environment maximizes our water saving capabilities and minimizes consumptive uses of water. For example, we must encourage the practice of capturing rainwater and managing run-off on residential and commercial buildings.
- Our public infrastructure must do a better job of reclaiming and recycling water. One shining example is located in Clayton County, where an innovative water recycling wetland system bolsters the drought-resistant supply of water. The wetland system is more cost-effective than conventional alternatives, and the resulting wetlands provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife and opportunities for public recreation such as fishing, hunting, and hiking.
Storage and Supply
In addition to the fundamental need to address the demand for water through conservation, I support a robust discussion of our water supply and storage needs. I believe that any discussion must avail itself of all of the available alternatives to ensure that our future water needs are met.
- We must think creatively about water storage to ensure that we minimize the need for new reservoirs, and ensure that any necessary reservoirs are constructed to maximize their efficiency, provide new wildlife habitats and have minimal impact to existing ecosystems.
- Lastly, we need smarter analysis of our water supply. Because our state’s current leaders have refused to commit to real analysis, they don’t have a realistic view of our water needs. We need supply-side measures based on real data that comes from careful monitoring and tracking of water usage, inter-basin transfers, development rights, and other factors that affect the supply of water to the metro area and the rest of the state.