ATLANTA (AP) — With the drought over and a federal deadline looming for the state to solve its water crisis, Gov. Sonny Perdue is proposing legislation to encourage even more water conservation in Georgia.
Perdue on Wednesday announced the Georgia Water Stewardship Act of 2010, which he said will also reduce wasteful loss and include incentives for increasing water supply and decreasing demand.
If approved, the measures would take effect in July 2012 — coinciding with the date a federal judge has set for Georgia, Alabama and Florida to reach a compromise on the states’ long-standing stalemate over water use.
“Georgians have been very innovative in proving their creativity and resolve in being good stewards,” Perdue said. “These are the right things to do whether the judge’s ruling is sustained or not.” Perdue says talks with Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist are moving forward. He left stricter measures to local leaders, saying a one-solution approach was not realistic. The legislation also proposes:
— Installing efficient water fixtures and water monitors — called sub-meters — in all new residential and commercial construction in Georgia and the installation of efficient cooling towers in new industrial construction.
— Requiring state agencies look at local government and water provider grant and loan programs to create incentives for retrofitting older buildings with more water-efficient fixtures, installing drought-resistant landscapes or reusing the wastewater generated by laundry, dishwashing and other domestic activities.
— Setting standards at the state’s Environmental Protection Division for water loss and leak detection for all medium and large public water systems to identify where the biggest losses are.
— Extending the voluntary agriculture monitoring program to include surface water withdrawals.
The measure will be introduced in the House and Senate. Perdue said he did not expect to offer any further proposals on the issue as his tenure draws to a close.
The legislation is based on recommendations from the Governor’s Water Contingency Task Force, a group of more than 80 business, government and environmental leaders from around the state that met in fall and winter.
The task force was created to look at whether Georgia could go it alone if both the tri-state negotiations and legal efforts fail. A federal judge has said Georgia has little right to withdraw water from Lake Lanier, which task force leaders said is still the most economically and environmentally logical choice for metro Atlanta’s water supply. Without it, meeting the region’s needs could become costly.
Rep. Lynn Smith and Sen. Ross Tolleson, who both chair the natural resources and environment committees in their respective chambers, supported the measure. Smith said the proposal empowers local communities to create solutions, just as they did last year.
“We don’t want to have blanket laws that could be punitive,” Smith said. “As citizens of Georgia, we managed ourselves pretty well through the last drought.”
Both lawmakers said the proposal shows the state is doing what it can while the issue is resolved.
“The state has to be very proactive in moving ahead,” Tolleson said. “I think this will have a positive impact on negotiations ... and it shows a good faith effort.”
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