Middle Chattahoochee Middle Chattahoochee

Executive SummaryWater Resources of the planning region support various instream uses includingnavigation, recreation, treated wastewater assimilation, and environmental useswhile major reservoirs are also extremely important to the region and providesystem storage for flood control, recreation, and hydropower generation.Throughout the planning process, there was strong recognition by the Council thatthe water resources in the ACF River Basin are highly complex with significantpolitical and environmental issues that remain unresolved. Several rulings on theconsolidated litigation between the Corps of Engineers, Georgia, Alabama, andFlorida disputing Corps operations of the federal reservoirs were made during theplan development. In addition, EPA issued new nutrient standards for free flowingstreams and lakes in Florida, which may have substantial implications for waterquality management in this region.Planning ProcessAt the beginning of the planning process, the Middle Chattahoochee Councildeveloped a Vision statement supported by specific goals including such things asprotecting the quantity, quality, and environmental resources of ACF system in theface of political, climate variability, andeconomic uncertainties. The visionand goals guided the Council indeveloping this Regional Water Planparticularly the selection ofmanagement practices as outlined inSection 6.After completing the vision and goals,the next step in the planning processVision StatementOur vision is that our descendants havesafe, clean and abundant water to meettheir needs in the Middle ChattahoocheeRegion; seeking to accomplish thatthrough reasonable efforts in cooperation,education, and preservation.was to identify and quantify demands for water in the basin. With input from variousstakeholders, support from EPD and using population projections provided by theOffice of Planning and Budget, regional water and wastewater projections weredeveloped thru 2050. With the region’s population almost doubling (91.3% increase)by 2050, and with increasing efforts to conserve water, water needs are forecast toincrease significantly as shown in the figure below.MIDDLE CHATTAHOOCHEEAgricultural water needs are projected to increase by approximately 10% by 2050.Findings of this analysis also show that municipal and industrial water uses areprimarily supplied from surface water while agriculture in the region generally relieson the use of ground water.ES-2Georgia State-wide Water Management PlanDRAFT05.02.2011