PARENT SESSION
Symposium 7: When the Rivers Run Dry: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Societal Responses to Drought and Ecosystem Impacts
Organized by: A Covich and C Pringle
Tuesday, August 5. 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM, SITCC Oglethorpe Auditorium.

How does long-term drought affect watershed management?

Hook, James^*,, Blood, Elizabeth,

ABSTRACT- The combination of multi-year droughts in the Southeast and increased water demand for urban growth and agricultural irrigation raised the awareness of water as a limited resource and has prompted a series of policy and cultural changes. Between 1980 and 1995, 11 of the 15 most severe agricultural droughts occurred. Irrigation became a mainstay of production. Meanwhile, Florida and Georgia became the 3rd and 4th fastest growing states. Demand grew for dependable water supplies to drought-proof municipalities and industries. Georgia reservoir construction and requests to alter management of federal reservoirs prompted neighboring states to challenge the US Army Corps of Engineers and Georgia in court. Settlement of these interstate water disputes is still underway, but early in negotiations, it became clear that Georgia would have to develop a culture of water consciousness and carefully plan its municipal and agricultural growth to minimize impacts on natural systems and users in downstream states. Planning centered upon demands during drought years. Data and modeling raised concerns whether Georgia could protect streams and needs of neighbors during severe drought. Regulators opened dialog with farmers concerning mandatory cutoff during severe droughts to protect streams and rivers. Compromise legislation was passed to protect both investments in irrigated farms and flow in streams. Meanwhile, local groups in the health, business, and agriculture began education and action to assure a place in decision making. Georgia also began work on its first comprehensive drought plan. Tri-state negotiations, agricultural compromise legislation, and drought planning quickly rose to crisis level as a drought that began in summer of 1998 stretched through 2002, becoming the worst in its history. Water supplies reached precariously low levels in several communities, private wells went dry, and mandatory bans on many outdoor water uses occurred statewide. With public awareness and planning already underway in Georgia, it became both possible and necessary for the state to initiate comprehensive statewide water planning. As this abstract is submitted, the Georgia legislature is debating water legislation drafted following a bipartisan planning study committee, sweeping legislation prompted by recent droughts.

Key words: legislation, planning, irrigation, compacts