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Nomination Process Now Underway For Regional Water Planning Council

Georgia’s Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Plan, signed earlier this year, and establishes a regional approach to guide water management through the creation of 10 water planning councils throughout the state.  Each council will be called upon to prepare a recommended water development and conservation plan that will guide water management decisions in their region.

On July 16, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division announced it is accepting nominations for positions on these councils through August 29, 2008.  Nominations must be submitted through this process; those submitted prior to the call for nominations must be re-submitted.  Self-nominations will be accepted.

“It is crucial that Georgia agriculture has representation in each of these planning regions,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin.  “I urge those within our agricultural industry who can and will make the commitment to serve in this capacity to complete, sign and return a nomination form to EPD.”

EPD, with the assistance of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Community Affairs, and the Department of Economic Development, will compile the nominations and forward them to the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker of the House, who will make the appointments to the councils.

Each council will be composed of 25 members and three alternates.  To qualify to serve, a nominee’s primary residence must be within the geographical boundaries of the water planning region he or she is being nominated to represent.  In addition, nominees must commit to at least three years of continuous service, which includes completing mandatory training, attending regular meetings and participating in deliberations.  Preferably, nominees will have one or more of the following qualifications: demonstrated previous involvement in multi-jurisdictional regional resource planning; demonstrated past or present involvement with public or private entity engaged in planning, management, or advocacy relative to water resources; demonstrated ability to successfully work with divergent interests to resolve resource challenges; demonstrated knowledge of water-related issues in the water planning region; experience as water withdrawal or water discharge permit holder in Georgia; be an elected or appointed local government official; have other demonstrated public service attributes.

These minimum and preferred qualifications, as well as an official nomination form and a map and list showing the counties included in each of the planning regions, is available at website www.georgiawaterplanning.org

EPD is not requesting nominations for the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, which was established by another law prior to the enactment of the Statewide Water Plan and has responsibility for water planning in the area comprised of Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale/DeKalb counties.