2.0 Future Water and Wastewater Needs

Estimating future demands for water supply and wastewater discharge are critical pieces of the water management puzzle. Statewide forecasts of water and wastewater needs provide an important new planning tool.

How much water will be needed to meet water supply demand in the future? And, how much wastewater do we expect to be discharged in the future?

In the past, these questions have only been answered for parts of the state, with different methods often applied in different areas. To support regional water planning, the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) worked with other state agencies and water users to produce consistent statewide estimates of future water and wastewater needs. Forecasts were developed separately for three major sectors of water use: municipal and industrial, agricultural, and thermoelectric. To prepare the forecasts, we examined past trends and identified changes likely in the foreseeable future. Initial forecasts were based on data collected consistently across the water planning regions. EPD and the Councils then worked with water providers and users in each region to check and adjust the data where needed. Forecasts of water for each decade from 2010 through 2050, summarized in the following pages, were provided to the Water Planning Councils as one of their starting points for regional water planning.

Photo credit (top to bottom):

• Georgia Power
• Georgia Department of Economic Development

Photo caption (top to bottom):

• Plant Vogtle, Savannah Basin
• Camping at FDR State Park, Chattahoochee Basin