HOW TO COMMENTVisit www.georgiawaterplanning.org or contact:Arnettia MurphyGeorgia Department of Natural ResourcesEnvironmental Protection Division2 Martin Luther King Jr. DriveSuite 1152, East TowerAtlanta, GA 30334404-656-4157 phone404-651-5778 faxinfo@georgiawaterplanning.org
People interested in Northwest Georgia's water plan, which includes evaluating the Tennessee River as an option for water supply, have until June 23 to make their opinions heard.
Georgia's Environmental Protection Division made drafts of plans for regions available Monday on its website, www.georgiawaterplanning.org, including the one created by the Coosa-North Georgia Regional Water Planning Council.
"It's the opportunity for a lot more minds to think about it than were just in that room," said Walker County Coordinator David Ashburn, who is vice chairman of the board. "They may have something we didn't think about, and that's OK."
The council will use the comments to revise its draft.
Ashburn said he had no idea how much participation to expect.
"We don't have a clue," he said. "We're just looking for people's thoughts or ideas."
The Regional Water Planning Councils have been meeting regularly since February 2009 to prepare their initial draft.
The initial draft last fall includes many recommendations on ways to conserve water as well as the option to add reservoirs and look north to the Tennessee River.
The final draft calls for the state to "explore opportunities for Georgia to expand use of the Tennessee River as a water supply source." The plan acknowledges "potential legal issues" that Georgia and Tennessee would have to work out, but also says the authors of the plan "would like future planning efforts to address this alternative water source in more detail."
The council must submit its final plan to the state Environmental Protection Division by Sept. 30.
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