EPD chief on tap for local water summit
As drought worsens, forum to emphasize conservation
by Andy Phelan
andy@dekalbchamp.com
If you want to go
What: Community forum of Water Issues Facing Georgia
Where: GPC, Clarkston at the Jim Cherry Learning Resource Center Auditorium
555 North Indian Creek Drive
When: Saturday, Nov. 17 at 9 a.m.
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While Gov. Sonny Perdue turns to a higher power in the hopes of bringing drought relief, three lawmakers who represent DeKalb are taking a different approach – they’re talking conservation.
State reps. Karla Drenner, Michelle Henson and Stephanie Stuckey Benfield are hosting a community forum on water issues facing Georgians on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Georgia Perimeter College in Clarkston.
Carol Couch, director of the state Environmental Protection Division, who called north Georgia’s water crunch a “crisis,” is the main speaker. Couch said last month that Lake Lanier, which is DeKalb’s main supply of water, would run dry in 80 days.
That’s now down to just 50 days.
“Atlanta is running out of water, and we need to take action,” said Benfield [D-Atlanta], who was part of a Metro Chamber initiative in 2000 that dealt with population growth and the water supply. “No, we can’t conserve our way out this drought, but there are simple things all of us can do to help alleviate the situation.”
That includes installing low-flow fixtures, recycling bath water, using rain barrels and taking shorter showers.
“We’re the only major U.S. city not on a natural water source,” said Benfield. “Add to it that we’re one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and potentially you could have a catastrophe. I don’t sound alarmist, but we might need to cut back our use drastically.”
On Nov. 2, the CEO imposed stricter rules for landscaping businesses, stiffer fines for residents who violate the outdoor watering ban and proposed the installation of low-flow fixtures in homes built before 1992 when they are resold.
State Rep. Mike Jacobs [R-Atlanta] said legislation forcing the installment of low-flow fixtures upon the resale of homes failed in 2004. He will offer two bills for the 2008 legislative session with tax incentives for retrofitting.
In a release, Drenner [D-Avondale Estates] said Nov. 15 that she pre-filed a water-saving measure that will tighten water flow requirements for toilets, shower heads, and faucets installed in commercial and residential buildings by 2014.
Her legislation also includes a tax credit for the replacement of certain plumbing fixtures in existing residential and commercial buildings.
“As our drought continues to worsen in Georgia, we can no longer afford to merely give lip service to water conservation and water-saving measures,” Drenner said. “This new measure sets a reasonable time table for all of our plumbing fixtures in both commercial and residential buildings to meet a water saving standard. Wishes and prayers are no longer enough, we must also take action as responsible citizens and do our part to conserve water where we are able to do so.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, low-flow fixtures on faucets, showers and toilets can save 76,000 gallons a year in just one home, which is a savings of more than $400 a year on water usage.
“Hopefully we all can agree that retrofitting old plumbing fixtures is something that needs to happen,” said Jacobs, who would also add water-efficient products to the current sales tax holiday for energy-efficient products.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson have promised a “substantial amount” of money to help local jurisdictions either expand existing reservoirs or build new ones. They said in an Oct. 25 news conference the legislation will be part of an expedited permitting process.
Clarkston resident Jan Gardner, who said she will attend the forum and invite a friend, questions why it’s taken politicians so long to promote conservation.
“I’m really surprised DeKalb politicians didn’t make much stronger decisions to cut back on water use earlier this summer when we first heard about the drought,” said Gardner, who installed a low-flow shower head and recycles her bathroom water with a bucket to put on her plants.
“People need to learn to conserve more in their homes,” she said. “I know I’m doing all I can.”
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