Joint Committee on Water Supply

The Joint Committee on Water Supply headed by Senator Ross Tolleson and Representative Lynn Smith met on December 9th.  The committee brought together stakeholders from across the state to present financing, environmental and economic considerations for increasing Georgia’s water supply.  The committee heard from the Georgia Environmental Financing Authority (GEFA) on financing options for building new reservoirs.  Allen Barnes of the Environmental Protection Division encouraged looking at other types of water storage.  The Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center gave an overview of the challenges that the state’s coastal region faces and the Georgia Conservancy shared ideas to consider when building new reservoirs.  The co-chairs plan to petition to have the committee reconstituted for another year to allow for further study of this critical issue in Georgia.