The water resource [Vol. 2, no. 1 (June 2003)]

Announcement of Public Review and Comment Period And Public Meetings

District-wide Watershed Management Plan, Long-term Wastewater Management Plan, and Water Supply and Water Conservation Management Plan

The District is currently seeking public review and comment on draft plans. The comment period will end August 6, 2003. Seven "Open House" public meetings have been scheduled across the District:

Agenda for Public
5:30 p.m. Open House Begins 6 p.m. Presentations 8 p.m. Open House Concludes
Comment forms will be distributed and a court reporter will be available to document individual comments.

Tuesday, July 8, 2003, 5:30-8 p.m. "Nancy Guinn" Conyers-Rockdale Library 864 Green Street Conyers, GA 30012
Wednesday, July 9, 2003, 5:30-8p.m. West Central Technical College 4600 Timber Ridge Drive Douglasville, Georgia 30135
Thursday, July 10, 2003, 5:30-8 p.m. Georgia Mountain Center 300 Green Street Gainesville, GA 30503
Tuesday, July 15, 2003, 5:30-8 p.m. Monroe Utilities Network 215 N. Broad Street Monroe, GA 30655

Wednesday, July 16, 2003, 5:30-8 p.m. Peachtree City Water & Sewerage Authority 1127 Highway 74 South Peachtree City, GA 30269
Wednesday, July 23, 2003, 5:30-8 p.m. North Metro Technical College Building 400 5198 Ross Road Acworth, GA 30102
Thursday, July 24, 2003, 5:30-8 p.m. Loudermilk Center Amphitheatre 40 Courtland Street Atlanta, GA 30303

Your participation will help make these plans a reality. For more information, please visit www.northgeorgiawater.org or call 404.463.3344 or fax 404.463.3254.

Water Resource Management Plans 40 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Bartow Cherokee Clayton Cobb Coweta DeKalb Douglas Fayette Fulton Forsyth Gwinnett Hall Henry Paulding RockdaleWalton

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A Newsletter of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
thewater resource Volume 2, Issue 1- June 2003

ANNOUNCEMENT OF PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT PERIOD AND PUBLIC MEETINGS
The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District has prepared for public comment:
1. The District-wide Watershed Management Plan; 2. The Long-term Wastewater Management Plan; and 3. The Water Supply and Water Conservation
Management Plan.
These plans are to be implemented by local governments in the District.

Planning for the Future
The District plans respond to the significant challenges facing the District, including:
Dependence on limited surface water supplies; Projected doubling of population in the next three decades; Possible exhaustion of supplies beyond 2030 without careful management; Matching needs with resources, geographically and temporally; Public and political demands to demonstrate responsible stewardship.

The District is currently seeking public review and comment on the draft plans. The comment period will end August 6, 2003. Seven "Open House" public meetings have been scheduled across the District during the weeks of July 7, 14 and 21 (refer to schedule of meetings on page 4 of this newsletter).
The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District was created to develop plans, policies and local model ordinances to protect water quality and public water supplies, protect recreational values of rivers and lakes and minimize adverse impacts of development on waters in and downstream of the 16-county District area that includes Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale and Walton.
Hard copies of the final draft plans will be available for review in advance of the public meetings at the following locations:
Atlanta Regional Commission Information Center, Atlanta Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Development Center, Franklin Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center, Gainesville Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority, Acworth Monroe-Walton County Library, Monroe
The final draft plans can also be found on the District Web site at www.northgeorgiawater.org. Single copies or CD-ROM versions can also be requested and/or comments can be sent via letter, fax or e-mail to:
Water Resource Management Plans 40 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Together, the long-range plans for water supply, water conservation, wastewater and watershed management will support the District's projected population and economic growth for the next three decades. The plans reflect a commitment to preserve opportunities beyond the 2030 planning horizon, as well as the specific policy goals set by the District Board.
Implementing the Plans
The draft plans are being used to solicit input from elected and appointed officials, interest groups and the public. The plans offer metro jurisdictions and state officials the first integrated set of specific recommendations for actions, policies and investments for water supply and conservation, wastewater and watershed management.
The challenge of developing and implementing a 30-year action plan is complex. Translating goals that ensure water resources for one of the nation's most vibrant metropolitan areas into clear, practical steps requires balancing a variety of perspectives and objectives. Among the chief drivers of the plans are:
Presenting a recommended plan that meets state law, local needs and District goals;
Articulating a compelling long-term vision;
Providing adequate flexibility to adapt to changing economic conditions, environmental standards, technology developments, legal guidelines, growth patterns, political leadership, public expectations and District members' understanding of issues and opportunities;
Ensuring adequate clarity about core plan elements and priorities;
Capitalizing on what works, fixing what does not and introducing new tools.
While the challenges and drivers are global in nature, it is clear that the District's long-term success will come from local actions that fit into a regional framework.

FAX 404.463.3254 E-MAIL jdowns@atlantaregional.com

Questions? Call 404.463.3344

A Newsletter of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
Volume 2, Issue 1- June 2003

Key Findings & Recommendations for the Water Supply and Water Conservation Management Plan

The District's water demand is projected to nearly double to approximately 1,200 million gallons per day (MGD) by 2030. The plan to provide water supply, which includes a combination of resource management strategies and additional water conservation efforts, was developed after a thorough evaluation of the District's water supply alternatives. The District will continue to rely on Lakes Lanier and Allatoona, as well as the Chattahoochee River and several smaller reservoirs. However, the recommended solution calls for a regional approach of sharing water resources across the District to preserve flexibility, supply and reuse opportunities beyond 2030 in all five river basins. The recommended water conservation package includes 10 measures that will further reduce water use and water losses in distribution systems. While the District can at this time expect an 8 percent water savings resulting from existing low-flow plumbing codes, the conservation measures recommended in the plan will have the potential for additional water savings of up to 11 percent by 2030. Finally, an increasing amount of indirect potable reuse, mainly through returning very high-quality reuse water to Lake Lanier, is included.

The Water Supply and Water Conservation Management Plan provides a framework for the District's water supply facilities. Approximately 23 percent of demand will be met by smaller reservoirs, with about half of that capacity existing and half to be constructed. Over 500 MGD of additional water treatment capacity will be needed by 2030. This will be achieved through constructing two new water treatment plants (WTPs) and expansion of 22 existing WTPs. Six smaller and older WTPs are recommended to be decommissioned by 2030, as they reach the end of their useful lives.

" The recommended solution calls for a regional approach of sharing water resources across the District to preserve flexibility, supply and reuse opportunities " beyond 2030 in all five river basins.

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Key Findings & Preliminary Recommendations for the Long-term Wastewater Management

Four key initiatives are the focus of the recommended Long-term Wastewater Management Plan for the 30-year planning period: 1. Treatment facilities consolidation; 2. Higher treatment standards and technologies to protect stream
quality while the District's population doubles; 3. More diligent septic systems management; and 4. Improved maintenance of sewer collection systems.
Consolidation of wastewater treatment has been recommended based on two findings of the planning study:
Consolidated wastewater treatment facilities will provide more consistent and reliable performance. Consolidated facilities are more economical to construct, operate and upgrade to higher treatment standards.
Approximately 345 MGD of additional wastewater treatment capacity will be needed by 2030, through new and expanded facilities. High levels of treatment will be applied at many facilities. Many small facilities will be phased out of service as they exhaust their useful life, and as new facilities become available. The consolidations will reduce the number

of wastewater treatment plants in the District from 102 publicly owned plants today to 48 plants by 2030, through a steady, phased approach. The recommended plan advocates consolidation, but local jurisdictions will be given the flexibility to determine the specifics of how to accomplish the consolidations.
Higher wastewater treatment standards will be necessary as the District grows and as treatment technologies become available to meet the higher standards. With highly treated wastewater and implementation of watershed management measures, stream quality can be protected within the District, even with the projected population increase over the next 30 years. For septic systems to be a viable means of managing wastewater, more careful operation and periodic maintenance are needed. Better installation practices, more active maintenance and improved tracking and record keeping are some of the necessary tools. For wastewater sewer collection systems a vigorous program for inspection and maintenance is recommended. This program is designed to be consistent with upcoming federal regulations.
Transitioning from today to the recommended solution will promote sustainable development in the Metropolitan North Georgia region.

Key Findings & Recommendations for the District-wide Watershed Management Plan

The Watershed Management Plan outlines the long-term stormwater and watershed management strategies for the District. It describes the planning process, the final recommendations, the decision-making rationale, specific tasks and milestones for implementation and estimated costs for implementation. A consistent, comprehensive approach to watershed management will enhance the ability of the District to meet watershed management goals and will help local governments meet regulatory requirements in addition to ensuring that watershed management practices are implemented equitably. The plan includes recommendations for six distinct watershed management strategies:
Programmatic Watershed Management Strategies. These are the day-to-day programs that local governments implement for stormwater management and watershed protection. These activities will provide the minimium level of watershed management efforts across the District.
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Strategies. These are management measures designed to address specific pollution problems in waterways that appear on Georgia EPD's TMDL list.
Source Water Protection Strategies. These are measures and programs to address protection of water supply watersheds.

Watershed Improvement Strategies. These strategies address watersheds that already have been affected substantially by development, identifying needed retrofits and restoration.
Land Use Strategies. This category entails land use and zoning measures that local governments can use to meet watershed management and protection goals. Specific strategies include initiatives such as greenspace preservation, alternative development patterns and other innovative land use practices.
Basin-Specific Management Strategies. Specific management issues are delineated for each major river basin in the District.
Watershed management strategies will primarily be the responsibility of local governments; however, the state will maintain the responsibility for enforcement of water quality regulations and the District will continue to provide coordination for regional water quality monitoring, data management and education and public awareness.
The District-wide Watershed Management Plan provides a consistent and comprehensive program for stormwater management and watershed protection across the entire District. Recommendations in the Plan will assist local governments in meeting multiple existing regulatory requirements including the Phase I and II stormwater requirements, source water protection, TMDL implementation and watershed protection.