Sonny Perdue

By Ashley Speagle

Correspondent

ATLANTA -- Saying he wants to encourage a "culture of conservation," Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday the state should confront its long-term water crisis by requiring water-saving measures for new homes and industries and encourage local governments to develop new supplies and programs.

"We're blessed enough to have enough rain, it's the management, conservation and collection of it we can do a better job at," Gov. Perdue said in a Capitol news conference where he unveiled the Water Stewardship Act of 2010.

The bill is based on suggestions from his own Water Contingency Task Force and would help Georgia prepare for more droughts and the possible loss of water from Lake Lanier, Gov. Perdue said.

"We want to continue a culture of conservation," Gov. Perdue said. "This sets the stage for economic growth."

The package combines conservation, such as requiring water-saving fixtures in new construction, with incentives for local governments to implement their own water conservation or development programs. It also provides for standards and oversight of water supply.

The Home Builders Association of Georgia supports the water conservation efforts but couldn't comment on the impact Gov. Perdue's initiatives may have on developers and properties, said Kelly Lass, executive vice president of the association.

Gov. Perdue said water conservation remains the right and economically best thing to do. But he added, "We cannot conserve our way out of the problem."

The state is appealing a federal judge's ruling that Georgia must stop using Lake Lanier water, a decision that came out of a longstanding lawsuit between Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

Task force co-chairman Tim Lowe, CEO of Lowe Engineers, said that conservation and supply measures such as the ones Gov. Perdue has proposed "will be critical to our ability to ensure access to clean, plentiful water supplies into the future."

"Between the historic drought we recently experienced and Judge Magnuson's ruling regarding the use of Lake Lanier, our state has been given clear reminders that water is a finite resource of which we must be good stewards," Mr. Lowe said in a prepared statement.

Gov. Perdue said he wants local areas to develop their own conservation solutions, from retrofits for older buildings to construction of new reservoirs or other supplies.

He didn't outline any specific incentives, saying they would be worked out in committee review. But he suggested such ideas as discounts on Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority loans or more-frequent applications for Community Development Block Grants.

"We will continue working closely with local government and water providers to make sure these incentives are something they can use," said Bert Brantley, the governor's spokesman.

The state will not pursue negotiations with Tennessee right now, Mr. Brantley said. Georgia has claimed that the state line is in the wrong place and it should have a right to tap Tennessee River water.

"There didn't seem to be much of an opening for negotiation, and the next step would be a suit in the Supreme Court," Mr. Brantley said.

The chairmen of their respective natural resources and environment committees, Sen. Ross Tolleson, R-Perry, and Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, will sponsor the bills.