Untitled Document

On May 6, Georgia’s Drought Response Committee announced several changes to the State’s current Drought Response Level. In making these recommendations, Dr. Carol Couch, EPD Director, stated “it is important to recognize that the drought does still continue and I urge every citizen to continue to conserve”. She added that “Georgia’s drought indicators are at a worse starting point than this time last year, but we are better prepared to deal with the challenges of water allocation in some areas. The Winter use reductions have been very successful and we need to continue with this culture of conservation.”

The following modifications to the State Drought Response Levels were announced:

The Governor’s 10 percent water reduction requirement will not be carried forward into the Summer months, but a goal of 10 percent reduction in use from last summer will remain in effect. This permit modification expired on 3/31/08.

A Level IV Drought Response will stay in effect for most of north Georgia with the exception of several counties along the “Fall Line” area. Six of these counties will be moved from a Level 4 Drought Response to a Level 2. (See attached GA EPD press release and map for a full listing). Fifty-five counties will remain in the Level IV Drought Response area.

Coastal Georgia and numerous S/East and S/Central counties currently under a Level 2 Response will be moved to a Level 1.

The vast majority of South Georgia will remain under a Level 2 Drought Response Level.

GA EPD recognizes that a “one size fits all” policy is not an appropriate management response, and that flexibility is needed to account for environmental and system differences from community to community.

Effective immediately, a system will be put in place to review petitions for exemption to the current drought response level on a case-by-case scenario. The Georgia Association of Water Professionals has been asked to take a leadership role in developing criteria and guidelines for the petition process. This process will acknowledge the drought preparedness of numerous communities in the Level IV Drought Response Area.

Guidelines for petitioning will be provided to water utilities by close of business May 16th. Petitions for exemptions should be submitted to EPD by June 6th.
Additional petitions may be submitted later as conditions change.

Approximately 12 water systems that are directly dependent on Lake Lanier, or its programmed releases, for their primary source water will not be allowed to petition for exemptions.

Winter use reductions have been very successful, but it is quite clear that outdoor water use still needs to be managed appropriately in order to protect our valuable source water during this unprecedented drought.

The Drought Response Modification Petitioning Process has been posted on EPD's web site. The protocol is intended to provide relief for those systems under state drought restrictions that have the capability to allow outdoor water use without putting their community at risk of running out of water later in the year. We urge you to review these documents carefully, and to run the appropriate analyses following the instructions provided by EPD. If you have questions, the appropriate place to start would be with the EPD Watershed Protection Branch's Assistant Branch Chief for your river basin (click here)

Approved Modiciations to EPD's Outdoor Watering Restrictions
The Georgia Association of Water Professionals is now maintaining a listing of all local water systems that have petitioned EPD for, and have been granted, modifications to their drought levels under this new process.

Locals Now Must Have State Permission to Enact Stricter Outdoor Watering Restrictions
As HB 1281 from the 2008 General Assembly has been signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue, local governments and water systems must now ask EPD for approval to implement outdoor water use restrictions which are different than those imposed by the State, whether more or less stringent. The process provided in the linked Guidance Document and Spreadsheet is designed to fit either scenario. Following this process will greatly expedite the review of your petition at EPD.