GA HR1305

Creates the CEBLA Water Supply Task Force to address water supply challenges in the coastal Georgia counties of Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, and southern Effingham, prompted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's May 2013 prohibition on new groundwater permits in those areas.

The CEBLA subregion faces a projected water shortage of 50 MGD by 2050, as total water use is expected to grow from approximately 75 MGD (2010) to 125 MGD by 2050, with Bryan and Liberty Counties completely dependent on groundwater.

The Task Force is charged with considering options including mandatory conservation requirements, timetables for converting aquifer users to surface water, identification of funding sources and new technology, and revisions to existing statutes, rules, and policies to allow greater flexibility in deploying permitted water resources.

Membership consists of 12 uncompensated members: four county commission representatives (one each from Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty), one City of Savannah representative, three municipal representatives, two water supplier representatives, and two industry representatives selected by combined local legislative delegations.

The Task Force must convene no later than May 1, 2014, deliver recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2014, and stands abolished on that date.