Interbasin transfer in Georgia and basin of origin protection

Abstract

For effective statewide water management in Georgia, an effective, efficient and equitable interbasin water transfer law is essential. The law must provide clarity as to when, where, and for what purpose an interbasin water transfer can occur, and it must provide a process that gives a voice to the citizens and stakeholders in the basin of origin that is equal to those in the receiving basin. The recommendations of the 2002 Georgia Joint Water Plan Study Committee Final Report provide a good model for the proposed Georgia interbasin water transfer laws. These recommendations must be supplemented, however, with more specific basin of origin protection provisions that provides some degree of certainty for the citizens and stakeholders. * This paper is a condensation of an article published as Sharing Water Through Interbasin Transfer and Basin of Origin Protection in Georgia, 21 Ga. St. U. L. Rev.