Homes, schools, businesses, and farms all require water, and the wastewater generated by some water uses has to be safely discharged. Understanding the demands on our water resources is a critical first step in managing Georgia’s waters for the future. Forecasts of water and wastewater demand were prepared to support regional water planning, providing this information on a consistent, statewide basis for the first time.

Understanding the capacities of water resources to meet the demands placed on them is also critical to managing water for the future. Over the past three years, EPD led the development of groundwater sustainability models for the most-heavily used aquifers in the state, surface water availability models for the state’s major river basins, and water quality models for many streams and most of the large lakes in the state.

Building on prior investments in monitoring and assessment of Georgia’s waters, this technical work filled critical information gaps. Results were tested against the knowledge of the Council members who live and work in each region, providing feedback used to refine the tools. The Councils and other participants also identified additional improvements to enhance the models for future use.

Results of these assessments show that, in most regions, additional groundwater is available to meet current and future groundwater needs. Two areas do face limitations on the availability of groundwater. The first is Southwest Georgia, where demand for groundwater exceeds the amount that can be sustainably withdrawn from the region’s principal aquifer. The second area lies along the coast, where groundwater availability is limited by movement of saltwater into the principal aquifer. In these areas, additional demand for water will have to be met from surface water or from other aquifers.

For surface waters, results indicate that much of the state has sufficient water to meet future demands. In river basins with large reservoirs, existing surface water storage could help meet future needs if agreements allowing that use can be made with reservoir owners (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and power companies).

In some other river basins, however, there may not be enough water during dry periods to meet demands for water and have stream flows above minimum thresholds. These results provide a warning that water consumption may impact uses that rely on water within the banks of streams, rivers, and lakes, such as boating and recreation. As described in Section 4, actions to increase water conservation and water supply will be particularly important in these areas.

Most of the surface waters we studied will be able to handle additional discharges of treated wastewater. Some dischargers, however, may have to provide higher levels of wastewater treatment in order to protect water quality.

In all water planning regions, assessments identified water bodies that currently have poor water quality, often due to the pollutants carried by stormwater. Results also identify areas where pollutants carried in stormwater runoff may cause water quality problems in the future. Actions are needed to protect or restore the water quality in these streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries.

Finally, the regional water plans highlight issues specific to individual regions. Examples include operation of federal reservoirs, protection of recreational uses on lakes, wastewater discharges in waters shared with neighboring states, and water quality issues associated with low levels of dissolved oxygen. Where applicable, the plans recognize the complementary activities that are underway to address these issues.

Download this pdf file. State Water Plan Timeline (PDF)