An innovative plan for water resources protection in the lake allatoona/upper etowah river watershed
Author(s)
Jones, Jerry
Kubala, David M.
Ruggs, Brian
Stribling, James B.
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Carroll, G. Denise
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Abstract
In 2000, the Georgia Department of Environmental
Protection (EPD) implemented one of the most
innovative approaches to watershed management and protection
in the nation. That approach required the development
of Watershed Assessments (WA) and Watershed
Protection Plans (WPP) prior to receiving water or waste
water permits (new or expanded). This surrogate approach
was designed to ensure that local water and sewer providers
give full consideration for how the added capacity
(water and/or sewer) could impact long-term sustainability
of water resources and ultimately develop and implement
plans that would support protection and sustainability of
the resources. Prior to this collaborative effort, WA’s and
WPP’s were developed by individual permittees with a
focus on their own political boundaries and/or service areas.
In 2003, the Lake Allatoona/Upper Etowah (LAUE)
River Watershed was initiated to implement a comprehensive
evaluation of ecological (aquatic and physical habitat)
and water resource conditions of the LAUE watershed.
The group includes the counties of Bartow, Cherokee,
Cobb, Dawson, Forsyth, Lumpkin, and Pickens, and three
water and sewer authorities; Cherokee County Water and
Sewerage Authority, Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority,
and Etowah Water and Sewer Authority along
with federal, state, and local agencies using a true watershed
approach. The broad objective of the project was to
develop a better understanding of the linkages between
land-use and environmental resources with an aim of sustainable
utilization of the water resources of the LAUE
Watershed in accordance with Georgia’s O.C.G.A 12-5-
522(a)).
This was accomplished through rigorous sampling,
analysis, coupled with linked watershed and reservoir
modeling to produce data and assessments of known quality
that will ultimately be used to make sound decisions
that support sustainability of the area’s water resources.
The WPP will offer a scientifically defensible and achievable
example of watershed management that is spatially
defined and politically plausible. Environmental impacts
were derived based upon the ability of a potential management
alternative to enhance and/or protect aquatic ecological
habitat as well as meet water quality standards.
Economic impacts were derived for various management
alternatives and were divided into two main categories:
(1) BMP costs as an indicator of direct economic impacts;
and (2) land opportunity costs as an indicator of indirect
economic impacts. This collaborative framework links all
aspects of Georgia State Water programs and could become
the tactical model for the State to apply existing
programs more efficiently and effectively at the watershed
scale.
Sponsor
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 Faculty
Date
2009-04
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Proceedings