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December 30, 2008

Cope: State water plan doesn’t consider economy

By Charles Oliver

Most Georgians haven’t paid much attention to the state water plan, passed earlier this year, by the Legislature. And most of those who have probably haven’t understood much of the long technical document, says Dalton Utilities president and CEO Don Cope.

“Yet it will probably have the most impact on the future of the state of Georgia as anything we are dealing with, the current financial crisis included,” he said.

Cope told the Dalton Rotary Club Tuesday he supports a state water plan.

“I moved to Dalton in 1952. I think there were about 12,000 or 13,000 people in Dalton, maybe 17,000 or 18,000 in Whitfield County. There are 120,000 in Whitfield County. It may be decreasing now. Let’s say it’s 100,000,” he said. “But there’s no more water than there was in 1952.”

Cope said the state has seen a similar population jump.

But he said he has some concerns the water plan that passed this year and is currently being implemented.

“Nowhere in the state’s plan is there any discussion of economic value,” he said.

The policy, he said, is being driven by legislators from the farming areas of south Georgia, where much of the state’s water is, and where it would remain under the plan.

“Our economy is driven by Atlanta (and the area) north. We really need to think about that,” he said.

“In every document they put out it says Georgia will be a leader in water conservation,” Cope said.

He said that’s a great idea, but he says Georgia needs to be careful. He says he pushed for ways to increase the state’s water resources, not just conserve them, to be included in the plan. Cope says two projects he thinks could work are desalination and purchasing water from other states. Parts of Whitfield County are in the Tennessee River basin, and Cope says Dalton Utilities has been able to buy water from the Tennessee River because of that.

Cope said that area residents need to study the plan and talk to lawmakers about if they have concerns.

Cope ended by talking about the drought. He said that November was even drier than November 2007 with flows in the Conasauga River, the area’s main water source well below their historical averages. Despite recent rain, this winter is supposed to be dry, he said.

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