Georgia Water Supply Situation Report

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Georgia Water SupplySituation Report

• Dr. Jim Hook
• National Environmentally Sound Production
  Agriculture Laboratory
• May 8, 2001
• Southeastern Turfgrass Conference, Tifton

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Fundamental Water Supply

• Rainfall
• 45 to 50 inches annually

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Fundamental Water Supply

• Rainfall at 30 locations South Central Ga
• Inches

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Fundamental Water Supply

• Rainfall at 30 locations South Central Ga

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Transport/Supply System

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River Storage System

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River Storage System

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River Storage System

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River Storage System

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River Storage System

• Current vs normal lake levels
• Allatoona 841 ft now/840 ft avg
• Carters 1073/1074
• Lanier 1061/1070
• Thurmond 325/329
• Hartwell 654/660
• All Hartwell inflow deficits from 1998 total 2
  million acre ft equivalent to 40 lake elevation
  drop

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Drought
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Drought
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Groundwater System Transport/Storage/Supply

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Groundwater System Transport/Storage/Supply

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Groundwater System Transport/Storage/Supply

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Groundwater System Transport/Storage/Supply

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Groundwater System Transport/Storage/Supply

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Groundwater System Transport/Storage/Supply

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Groundwater System Transport/Storage/Supply

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Floridan Aquifer at Sylvester
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1998-2001 Drought

• 2000 Drought rules extended by EPD
• Outdoor water restrictions April 2001 reminder
• 15 County Metro Area
• Total ban 10 am-10 pm
• Nighttime/early morning on odd/even
• Statewide non-metro
• Total ban 4 pm-10 pm
• Nighttime/early morning on odd/even
• Possible total outdoor water bans some
  suppliers/regions

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1998-2001 Drought

• Drought rules
• As written little impact on total water
  consumption for lawns and recreational areas
• Maintain water pressure (fire fighting)
• Minimize use during peak commercial use times
• Force use to higher efficiency application times
• May make disease problems worse
• Other Restrictions
• Inverted Rate structure
• Total outdoor watering bans
• Agriculture vs Urban Ag/green industry tensions
• Remove golf courses from agriculture permitting
• Home lawn care vs sod farms
• Urban vs rural economic impacts

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Drought

• Drought Declaration by March 1 by EPD
• Weather forecasts, Stream conditions, Groundwater
  levels
• Go/No Go
• EPD sets target levels for acreage reductions
  (determine acres that can be safely irrigated
  that year)
• 33,000 acres in Flint at an average 135/ac
• To avoid unreasonable impacts on river flows

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EPD Imposes Ag Permit Freeze
Freeze on NEW water withdrawal permits from the
Floridan Aquifer in the Dougherty Plain after
November 30, 1999 2700 Pending applications gt1000
Permits by Dec 2000 gt1000 applications being
held Fines imposed on well drillers who attempt
to drill without EPD Letter of Concurrence. EPD
site visit upon installation before permit is
issued.
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How much water did farmers useRegional Water
Development and Conservation Plan

• Ag Water Pumping Statewide monitoring
• AWP II Automated monitoring in the Dougherty
  Plain well source irrigation only
• Extension triennial survey
• USGS/EPD 5 year report on all water uses in the
  State Nation.

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2000 Extension Irrigation Survey1,492,980 acres
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2000 Extension Irrigation Survey

• 9564 Pivots covering 1,090,200 acres
• 3157 travelers covering 227,000 acres
• 2010 drip systems covering 74,000 acres
• 61 use groundwater (increasing)
• 39 rely on surface water
• 20,200 EPD Agricultural withdrawal permits

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2000 Extension Irrigation Survey
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All Water Use Annualized
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Equivalent Surface Flow for Irrigation
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Apportioning Water Among States

• ACT/ACF Compact Negotiations
• Extended to
• June 15, 2001
• Mediator
• Settlement nore likely than January
• Not ideal for farmers

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Saltwater Intrusion

• Interim Strategy 1997
• Floridan aquifer
• Countywide Planning
• Dec 31, 2000
• Scientific Studies
• Cap established for regional withdrawals
• Permits being debited to the GW account

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Maintaining Stream Flows

• Flint River Basin
• 8640 sq. mi., 330 mile river
• Clayton, Fayette, Spalding, Henry
• Dougherty, Lee
• Agriculture (23) irrigation
• Forests (63)
• Wetlands (10)
• Water quality aquatic habitat

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Restrictions on Permitted Withdrawals 1997-2001

• Cap on total withdrawals in the Coastal Zone
• Forced reduction in permitted withdrawals in
  selected Coastal Communities
• County based water use planning
• Freeze on new agricultural permits in the
  Dougherty Plain
• On-site verification of permits
• Studies on water use, hydrology, economic and
  water laws
• Consideration of irrigation buyout

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2001-2002 Action

• SR 142 - creates a Joint House-Senate Study
  Committee and a Water Plan Advisory Committee for
  development of a Georgia Comprehensive Water
  Plan.
• SB 130 Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning
  District regional water planning district
  (Clean Water Initiative)
• SR 85 Georgia Water Bill of Rights
• A Georgia Drought Management Plan will be
  completed by July 1, 2001
• Challenges to water rights by Power Companies

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Future for Water

• WATER
• CONSERVATION