Middle Chattahoochee Middle Chattahoochee

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7. Implementing Water Management Practices05.02.2011In those areas of the Flint River where surface water to groundwaterinteractions are known to exist, the Council asks that EPD define thereduction in streamflow associated with increased agricultural groundwaterwithdrawals to aid in increased interregional coordination between thecouncils in the ACF Basin. A clear understanding of this effect will reveal thedegree to which storage in the Chattahoochee River is relied upon to meetdownstream flow requirements below Woodruff Dam. To achieve betteragricultural water use data (both groundwater and surface water) the Councilrecommends improved implementation of the agricultural water withdrawalmetering program of the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commissionby:• Completing comprehensive installation of meters• Ensuring the meters are functioning properly through regularmaintenance inspection• Increasing data collection on parameters including monthly use,crops, inputs• Reporting aggregate results annually to permittees and policymakers• Preparing collected data in a manner that will facilitate use in futureresource assessments6. Increase Storage in the SystemThis Plan discusses the need to increase storage in the ACF system for bothwater withdrawal and instream uses and in the Tallapoosa Basin to mitigatemodeled surface water availability gaps. Several means to increase storageare discussed, including better utilization of available storage, building morestorage, and seeking to identify new methods of storage such as aquiferstorage and recovery for areas with apparent gaps such as the Flint RiverBasin.The Council recommends that EPD develop these conceptual ideas furtherand provide a more comprehensive plan for increasing storage in the region.The concept of designating environmental storage in the existing federalreservoirs should be explored for the purpose of improving the reliability ofmeeting consumptive use and downstream flow targets during droughtconditions. The Council encourages the study and development of newstorage in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and Tallapoosa basins toclose gaps (Bainbridge, Heflin, and Newell nodes), improve reliability ofdrought contingency plans, and alleviate the burden of operationalrequirements on the federal reservoirs in the Middle Chattahoochee regionwhich have become the “work horses” of the ACF system.7. Water Conservation Program EvaluationThe water conservation program is a critical element of this Plan. Currentlythere are several practical limitations to measuring progress such asGeorgia State-wide Water Management PlanMIDDLE CHATTAHOOCHEE7-17
MIDDLE OCMULGEEIV-2Georgia State-wide Water Management PlanDRAFTDAY MONTH YEAR7. Implementing Water Management Practicesinconsistent terminology, lack of available data and the need to identifypractical ways of collecting data. Periodically, it will be important to assessthe progress and benefit of the water conservation program.Recommendations throughout this plan are intended to address the existinglimitations to the degree practicable to develop a sound method of measuringregional progress.8. Funding for Additional Resource AssessmentsThe Council recommends that the Legislature provide funding for ongoingadditional data collection and the continued refinement of water resourceassessments used in the development of the Plan.For water quantity, the Council recommends that the state consider furtherstudy of the modeling constraints associated with the adaptive reservoirmanagement model for the ACF Basin developed by the Georgia WaterResources Institute at Georgia Tech. This action is recommended within thenear-term leading up to the scheduled release of the draft Water ControlManual by the Corps of Engineers July 2011. Additionally, the Councilrecommends additional modeling scenarios which take into account extremehydrologic conditions which have occurred outside of the modeled hydroperiodcurrently established (1938-2007) in the surface water availabilitymodels developed by EPD. This could include modeling extreme droughtconditions documented from the 1920’s and the extreme flood event whichoccurred in 2009.The Council also recommends an increased awareness of water balance inthe region and therefore, requests that additional measurement and waterreturn ratio studies be performed to better understand consumptive uses andrelated water returns. Once completed, this information will better equip theCouncil and region for managing consumptive uses and allow the Council’svision of an abundant water supply for our descendants to be achieved.MIDDLE CHATTAHOOCHEEThe lack of baseline data for water quality as compared to the level of bestmanagement practice (BMP) implementation already in place, as well as ameasure of the effectiveness of those practices, makes it difficult to assignmanagement practices to address modeled water quality gaps. Additionalfunding for water quality assessments and best management practices (BMP)surveys could be complemented through the development of programssimilar to those in already in place through the Georgia Forestry Commissionor coordination of existing water quality sampling data already being collectedto fulfill permit requirements.The Georgia Forestry Commission’s BMP complaint and survey programcould be considered as a model between agricultural users and the NationalResource and Conservation Service (NRCS) and Georgia Soil and WaterConservation Commission (GSWCC). Such efforts would provide7-18Georgia State-wide Water Management Plan05.02.2011
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Middle Chattahoochee Middle Chattahoochee

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