Title:
Financial Risks of Developing New Water Supply Reservoirs in the Southeast, and Elements of a Prudent Path to Securing Water Supplies

dc.contributor.author Emanuel, Ben en_US
dc.contributor.corporatename American Rivers (Organization) en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2014-03-26T20:15:34Z
dc.date.available 2014-03-26T20:15:34Z
dc.date.issued 2013-04
dc.description Proceedings of the 2013 Georgia Water Resources Conference, April 10-11, 2013, Athens, Georgia. en_US
dc.description.abstract This paper is based on our July 2012 report documenting the financial and water resource risks tied to developing new water supply reservoirs in the Southeast. Many local governments throughout Georgia are consider-ing significant spending of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars to build new reservoirs. Georgia reservoir proposals as of 2012 could total $10 billion in taxpayer and ratepayer dollars. We outline five financial and water resource risks inherent in the pursuit of new water supply from reservoirs: (1) Reservoirs are highly expensive, usually bringing on debt for ratepayers and taxpayers; (2) a reservoir’s cost is typically a “moving target;” (3) reservoir financing plans often rely on high population growth projections, ultimately leaving existing residents responsible for costs; (4) a reservoir depends on increasingly uncertain rainfall and loses water when high temperatures cause evaporation; and (5) reservoir water is a contested resource subject to competing demands in the river system. We also examine recent projects that provide cautionary tales of communities burdened by borrowing capital to develop new reservoirs. We offer five key recommendations for local leaders who seek to reduce their communities’ risks in planning for enough clean water for the future: (1) Optimize existing water infrastructure first; (2) plan for water use to de-crease as a community grows; (3) pursue flexible water supply solutions; (4) demand accurate assessments of costs; and (5) examine water availability to minimize re-source risks. As communities endeavor to secure water supplies, it is critical that decision-making enhance the community’s flexibility and resilience. Water supply strategies that can respond to unexpected economic and climatic changes place a community in a better financial position when facing an uncertain future. Low-impact supplies rooted in efficiency are best suited to this task. en_US
dc.description.sponsorship Sponsored by: Georgia Environmental Protection Division; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Water Resources Institute; The University of Georgia, Water Resources Faculty. en_US
dc.description.statementofresponsibility This book was published by Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-2152. The views and statements advanced in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not represent official views o en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/51475
dc.language.iso en_US en_US
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries GWRI2013. ACF Issues Georgia Water Plans en_US
dc.subject Water resources management en_US
dc.subject Georgia water planning en_US
dc.subject Financial risks en_US
dc.title Financial Risks of Developing New Water Supply Reservoirs in the Southeast, and Elements of a Prudent Path to Securing Water Supplies en_US
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Proceedings
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.corporatename Georgia Water Resources Institute
local.contributor.corporatename School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
local.contributor.corporatename College of Engineering
local.relation.ispartofseries Georgia Water Resources Conference
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 8873b408-9aff-48cc-ae3c-a3d1daf89a98
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 88639fad-d3ae-4867-9e7a-7c9e6d2ecc7c
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 7c022d60-21d5-497c-b552-95e489a06569
relation.isSeriesOfPublication e0bfffc9-c85a-4095-b626-c25ee130a2f3
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
1.5.1_Emanuel.pdf
Size:
178.94 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description: