Georgia’s Water Platform

For many years, Georgia has been blessed with an abundant supply of water. Our heritage of plentiful, clean, flowing water has driven a growth spurt and made our state an attractive location for businesses and families. But now we face a new reality.

Increased water consumption, as well as an extended drought, has made it clear that water is a finite resource. Georgia is now at a crossroads. Our next governor must make a solemn commitment to Georgia’s water heritage by ensuring the following reforms:

1. Regulating the transfer of water from one river basin to another and requiring strict limits on new interbasin transfers to protect all Georgia communities and prevent harm to our rivers and the wildlife that depend on them.

2. Ensuring all Georgians have access to clean, reliable drinking water by implementing water conservation measures promptly, maximizing use of existing reservoirs, and engaging in transparent negotiations with neighboring states prior to pursuing new water supply sources that threaten the health of our waters.

3. Forbidding rollbacks to environmental regulations that protect our water, air, forests, and land.

4. Making impartial appointments to the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee and the Board of Natural Resources, including professionals in the earth sciences and leaders of conservation and environmental organizations.

5. Allocating fees that are collected to fund conservation and environmental programs only for those purposes and not distributing them elsewhere in Georgia’s budget.