GA SB451

Transfers authority over farm water-use measuring programs from the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission to the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Department of Natural Resources, including the purchase, installation, operation, maintenance, and reading of water-measuring devices

Removes the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission's authority to formulate rules and regulations in consultation with EPD by deleting paragraph (7.2) of Code Section 2-6-27

Requires permittees whose farm use permits are modified, amended, transferred, or assigned on or after April 20, 2018, and who lack a water-measuring device, to install one at their own cost within one year and obtain division approval within 60 days of installation

Adds new enforcement provisions allowing the division to impose civil penalties on permittees whose employees, tenants, or agents willfully dismantle, sell, relocate, or remove state-installed water-measuring devices, and requires the division to contract for maintenance, repair, or replacement of such devices at no cost to the permittee

Establishes new requirements for the division to contract for annual readings of all installed water-measuring devices, audit a subset of permittee-reported readings for accuracy, and allows permittees selected for monthly readings to self-report data to the division