Population, water supply needs, and wastewater flows are expected to nearly double during the next 30 years in the 16 counties of Metropolitan North Georgia. The additional population will place increasing pressure on water managers to assure adequate quantity and quality of the water resources flowing into and from this 16-county region. With a backdrop of more than 4 years of serious drought, State and local water managers recognized the importance of developing plans to appropriately manage future needs and share water resources among the District governments. State legislation was passed in 2001 to establish the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (District), and work began to develop the first set of integrated water resource plans.
The condensed two-year planning effort produced a comprehensive assessment of the existing and projected status of the region’s water resources. This process enabled the local governments to work together to determine how best to meet future needs and to produce the plans for sustainability of water resources in the region. The District adopted three distinct but linked long-term plans for water supply, wastewater, and watershed management in September, 2003.Sponsored by:
Georgia Environmental Protection Division
U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Water Science Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute
The University of Georgia, Water Resources Facult
