The water resource [Vol. 1, no. 2 (Nov. 2002)]

A Newsletter of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
Volume I, Issue 2/November 2002
Accomplishments
The District is pleased to report that in recent months, the Governing Board unanimously adopted the first two of the District's five major planning efforts. The Short-term Wastewater Capacity Plan was approved on August 7, 2002 and Model Stormwater Management Ordinances were adopted on October 3, 2002. Much hard work contributed to realizing the success of the short-term plan and the model ordinances. Since its creation in April 2001, the District undertook intensive work schedules and an extensive public review and comment process to achieve end products that satisfy multiple interests within the District.
The Model Stormwater Management Ordinances are tools that will be used by local governments to implement and enforce good stormwater management. The Short-term Wastewater Capacity Plan will address the immediate wastewater capacity needs of several District jurisdictions, ensuring that those capacity needs are managed until a long-term wastewater plan is put in place. Implementation by local governments is already underway.
Both the final Short-term Wastewater Capacity Plan and Model Stormwater Management Ordinances are available on the District's website at www.northgeorgiawater.org, or by contacting the District at the number listed below.

Your support and efforts will help make these plans a reality. For more information, please visit www.northgeorgiawater.org or call 404.463.7200 or fax 404.656.6416.

MNGWPD 2090 Equitable Building 100 Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303

PLACE STAMP HERE

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Volume I, Issue 2/November 2002

Chairman's Corner
By Joel Cowan

WHY are the Policy Goals Important?

As we continue the process of addressing the critical water issues in North Georgia, it is helpful to review the District's five stated policy goals for developing long-term plans. Each policy goal was designed to apply to specific water supply, wastewater, and watershed planning objectives, and to insure that future water needs are met.
The District's policy goals are:

Because there are many city and county governments involved in this project, the policy goals assist in defining the common elements of the Plans. They create a unified vision of what the District is setting out to accomplish.
WHAT do the policy goals mean for you?
The District's first policy goal is to sustain economic development in the region. The District Plans will accomplish this by meeting projected water demands, meeting a 10% reuse target, providing efficient water use, and protecting both public health and source water supplies.

Sustaining economic development; Improving and protecting water quality; Distributing benefits and costs of the Plan equitably; Integrating local measures; and Educating the public about the process.
In this issue of The Water Resource, we talk about what the policy goals are, how the planning process is applying the District's policy goals, and progress on the plans to date.
We are making excellent progress on the planning studies, and continue to rely on your involvement and support as we prepare recommendations.
Sincerely,
Joel H. Cowan, Sr. Chairman, MNGWPD
water our most precious resource.

District Policy Goals and Planning Criteria

CRITERIA

GOALS

The second policy goal is to improve and protect water quality, by meeting water agreements among the three states of Georgia, Alabama and Florida, protecting surface water quality, creating flexible and reliable systems, and sustaining aquatic life.
The third policy goal is to equitably distribute benefits and costs. This policy goal insures that the 16 counties in the District share in the advantages as well as the expenses of implementing the Plans, in a manner that is fair to all.
The fourth policy goal is to integrate local measures. Prior to the creation of the 16-county District, many counties had water, wastewater, and stormwater plans in place. The District Plans will, to the extent possible, coordinate and integrate the existing plans as well as provide for phasing of improvements.
The fifth policy goal is public education and awareness. The public's understanding of the problems, needs and their role in the solutions will enhance and strengthen the Plans.

Sustainable economic development Meet projected demands Meet 10% reuse target Provide efficient water use Protect public
health Protect source
water

District Policy Goals

Improve & Protect Water
Quality Meet ACF/ACT (Tri-State Water
Agreement) Protect surface water quality

Equitably Distribute Benefits & Costs

Integrated Local
Measures

Integrate water,

Balance interbasin transfers

wastewater, and stormwater
management plans

Equitable solutions across
jurisdictions

Improvements phasing

Flexible and reliable systems

Minimize life-cycle
costs

Sustain aquatic life

Allocate Resources between
jurisdiction

Be neighborhood friendly

Multi-purpose projects
Affordable systems
Interjurisdictional collaboration

Public Education & Awareness
Educate Public

A Newsletter of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
Volume I, Issue 2/November 2002

Water Supply and Wastewater Needs Assessment
A Needs Assessment is a vital part of the planning process. In order to know what improvements need to be made, it is necessary to determine the current conditions first. By gathering relevant information such as existing water planning projects, projected usage, and population growth statistics, plans can be developed that address water, wastewater and watershed needs from the current condition through the completion of the plan year 2030. Future demands are compared to existing sources and facilities to determine what actions must be taken to address water, wastewater, and watershed needs. The results of the recently completed water supply and wastewater Needs Assessment for 2030 indicates that projected District water demands will equal available supplies by 2030, and that significant water treatment and wastewater treatment infrastructure investments will be required.
The Needs Assessment sets the stage for development of potential alternatives. The problems are identified and included in the plans from the outset. The most effective alternatives, and the methods of implementing the alternatives, are then developed. The alternatives are based on management concepts or themes that are developed to address each objective. The alternatives are then screened and combined into management solutions, which are then evaluated and presented for review.

What Criteria Will Be Used During the Development of Solutions?

Three categories of criteria will be used to evaluate alternatives. They are:

Screening Criteria; Evaluation Criteria; and Implementation Criteria

Each policy goal will be reviewed according to the three criteria, as applicable. Additionally, each goal will have metrics, or measurements that will determine how well the alternative addresses each policy goal.
Screening Criteria
Screening criteria will be used to address three key areas that relate to the first two policy goals, including projected demands, in-stream standards, and Georgia's proposals for the Tri-State Water Compacts. The metrics associated with the screening criteria will primarily be calculations, or "quantitative metrics."
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation criteria will be applied to all five policy goals. These are the most extensive criteria, and address many issues such as water reuse, water conservation, potable water supplies, consumptive use, reliable systems, aquatic life, water recreation, interbasin transfers, cost, equitable solutions in multiple jurisdictions, and the integration of water, wastewater, and stormwater management plans. The metrics associated with evaluation criteria include "qualitative" standards such as reviewing risks to human health, as well as quantitative standards.
Implementation Criteria
Implementation criteria will be utilized when evaluating policy goals 3, 4, and 5. These policy goals relate to the way in which the plans will be carried out. Several key areas of consideration will include how resources will be allocated among the District's multiple jurisdictions, the development of opportunities for multipurpose projects, how to provide affordable systems, and educating the public. The metrics associated with implementation criteria are primarily qualitative.

From Themes to Solutions: The Screening Process

Identify Themes

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WHAT'S HAPPENING? An Update on the Major Planning Efforts of the District

Water Supply and Water Conservation Management Plan/ Long-term Wastewater Management Plan - Preliminary Solutions

The Path from Themes to Solutions
Management themes to address water supply and wastewater were presented in June 2002. From these themes, eight conceptual solutions were developed for their implementation facility ultra-centralization, wide-scale application of indirect potable reuse, consumptive loss reduction, etc.
The most favorable parts of the eight solutions were assembled into three short-listed solutions. All of the solutions incorporate aggressive water conservation.
Solution A
Each jurisdiction's current plan for meeting 2030 demands is incorporated into this solution by using the current and imminent (i.e., planned and likely to be permitted) water supply sources and water treatment facilities. Solution A results in having the greatest reliance on the Chattahoochee Basin water supplies and the least reliance on the Etowah Basin. For wastewater, Gwinnett and DeKalb counties would

consolidate facilities while portions of the outlying areas are planning new facilities.
Solution B
This solution focused on water treatment plant (WTP) expansions at the three largest, most reliable, and best quality water resources in the District Lake Allatoona, Lake Lanier, and the Upper Chattahoochee River. WTPs on these sources are currently among the largest facilities withdrawing from their respective sources; they have room to expand; and they are well located to serve densely populated areas of the District. Given this approach, Solution B relies more on Etowah Basin water supplies and less on the Chattahoochee Basin to meet District needs.
In the southern part of the District, where water resources are not conducive to similar centralized expansion, capacity expansion was divided among many existing facilities. For wastewater, three basic ideas were incorporated into this solution to improve cost effectiveness. First, this solution concentrates on a small

number of facility expansions in order to take advantage of economies of scale. Second, many smaller treatment facilities would be phased out to improve operation and maintenance cost efficiency. Third, wastewater would be conveyed to existing treatment facilities with available capacity to allow facility consolidation.
Solution C
This solution focuses on basin water resources and limits changes to current interbasin transfers (IBTs). IBTs are viewed from a "net" perspective; that is, as the difference between water withdrawn and wastewater returned within a basin. Using the "net" perspective, it is acceptable to withdraw water from one basin, use it to provide service to residents in an adjacent basin, and return the treated wastewater to the basin of origin. Solution C results in balancing the use of Etowah Basin water supplies with uses in the Chattahoochee Basin. Under Solution C, the general approach is to return treated wastewater to the originating basin, with the exception of existing IBTs.

Watershed Management Plan - Preliminary Recommendations

The overall goal of District watershed management is to maintain or meet water quality standards and designated uses of the streams and waterbodies within the District. Public information meetings with the Technical Coordinating Committee and the Basin Advisory Cousils have produced preliminary recommendations for the Watershed Management Plan.
Watershed Management Recommendations
Recommendations include programmatic watershed management measures that would be implemented uniformly across the entire District, such as model ordinances for stormwater management, effective public education, an operations and maintenance program for stormwater facilities, and a floodplain management program based on future land use.
Varying levels of existing development and associated levels of watershed impacts are found within the District. Two levels of watersheds have been identified: Category 1 watersheds have effective impervious area less than 10 percent with the potential to meet designated uses through implementation of effective stormwater management measures; Category 2 watersheds have higher levels of imperviousness and will require some level of watershed retrofit and

restoration to meet designated uses. In those Category 1 watersheds that have TMDL listings or are source water watersheds, additional planning will be required.
Responsibilities, Implementation, and Funding
The responsibilities for implementation of the recommended watershed management programs will be divided among local governments, the District, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). Local governments will be responsible for implementation of ordinances, a local monitoring program, and improvements in impacted watersheds. The District will be responsible for development and coordination of public education efforts, environmental monitoring protocols and database, and annual reviews for compliance with the District recommendations. Georgia EPD would continue to be responsible for enforcement and compliance with water quality standards.
Potential funding sources for the proposed watershed management program include local taxes, bonds, impact fees, special tax districts, and user fees/stormwater utilities. Stormwater utilities appear to be the most equitable method. Implementation planning will identify specific tasks and milestones to achieve.