Dargan Scott Cole, Sr.
Hall Booth Smith & Slover, P.C.
191 Peachtree Street, Suite 2900
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Phone: 404-954-5000
Email: dscole@hbss.net
August 25, 2011

• Droughts in Georgia
– 1925-27
– 1954-56
– 1986-88
– 1998-2002
– 2007-2008
• Georgia Population
– 2,900,000
– 3,695,000
– 5,970,000
– 8,185,000
– 9,700,000

• Statewide Planning
– Regional Reservoir Program (1989)
– MNGWPD (2003/2009)
– Water Supply Act of 2008
– Statewide Water Plan (2011)
• Statewide public education
– Ongoing effort
• Project Funding
– Pre-construction funding left to local government
– State funding available for construction

Proposed Regional Reservoirs (1989)
Legend
= Water
Supply
Reservoir

Local Reservoirs (Pre-2000)
Legend
= Water
Supply
Reservoir

In Permitting
Permitted
Recently Completed
Legend
= Water
Supply
Reservoir

Less than 3 bg
Between 3 and 5 bg
More than 5 bg
Legend
= Water
Supply
Reservoir

Less than 5 mgd
Between 5 and 9.5 mgd
Greater than 9.5 mgd
Legend
= Water
Supply
Reservoir

NRCS Reservoirs
Permitting or Proposed
GEFA Reservoirs

• Statewide Planning
– Identify and protect regional reservoir opportunities
– Identify and protect new sources of water
– Identify and protect statewide mitigation opportunities
• Statewide public education
– Provide funding for a statewide public education effort
• Implementation
– Upfront money to support local planning, permitting and design efforts
– Upfront money to acquire environmental mitigation tracts

A Proposal for Governor Deal’s Water
Supply Program Task Force

• Pre-Permit Cost
– Cost to plan and permit
– Cost to acquire environmental mitigation property
• Discretionary costs
– Cost to acquire the land
• Post Permit Cost
– Cost to construct the project
– Cost to construct the environmental mitigation
– Cost to treat and distribute the final product

• Reservoirs in the permitting process
– Parks Creek, Jefferson
– Glades Reservoir, Hall Co.
4 mgd
80 mgd
– Russell Creek, Dawson Co.
11 mgd
– Richland Creek, Paulding Co.
35 mgd
– Bear Creek, Fulton Co.
– Bear Creek, Newton Co.
– Indian Creek, Carroll Co.
16 mgd
28 mgd
24 mgd
• Proposed Reservoirs
– Haralson Co.
– Dawson Forest, Dawson Co.
– Calhoun Creek, Lumpkin Co.
– Heard Co.
16 mgd
50 mgd
47 mgd
8 mgd
– Barrow Co.
8 mgd
– South River, Henry/Newton Cos. 24 mgd
198 mgd
153 mgd

Planning Permitting and Design
• Implement a program modeled after the Texas State
Water Development Board’s Water Infrastructure Fund
10-year Deferral (WIF-Deferred)
• Use the GEFA portion of the funding for low interest loans for planning, design and permitting costs of water supply projects
• Defer interest and principal payments for 5 years or until the end of construction, whichever comes first.
– Defers up front costs
– Allow long-term planning for repayment

Environmental Mitigation
• Use funding from Department of Community Affairs to purchase the necessary environmental mitigation property
• Georgia retains the asset for use with other projects, if the current project is delayed.
• DCA is repaid after the permitting is complete

Dargan Scott Cole, Sr.
Hall Booth Smith & Slover, P.C.
191 Peachtree Street, Suite 2900
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Phone: 404-954-5000
E-mail: dscole@hbss.net