The Georgia Water Supply Task Force submitted its final report to Governor Nathan Deal on December 14. The committee called for dividing $300 million the governor is requesting from the General Assembly during the next four years for water supply projects into $100 million in direct state investment and $200 million in low-interest loans to local governments.
The state's task force wants to spend $300 million that Deal has promised to expand water supply by building multi-million reservoirs, reopening inactive wells or drilling new wells. The state should offer loans to cities and towns for such projects, the task force said.
Critics of the state's plan say existing water systems should be made more efficient first before the state puts money into building new reservoirs. The panel’s plan left out water conservation and efficiency projects.
The water plan recommendations were open to the public for comment from November 14 to December 5.
To read more about the plan, click here or visit the task force's website to see the plan and review the public comments.