The Need for Science Based Water Policy

Rivers, and the streams and ground water that feed them, are the lifeblood of Georgia. All life depends, directly or indirectly, on this water. Historically, we have had an abundance of water with limited demands placed on the resources. Fortunately, Georgia is blessed with extensive water resources, receiving on average about 50 inches of precipitation each year. The state has over 70,000 miles of streams and rivers. In addition, the Floridan Aquifer in South Georgia is one of the most prolific aquifers on earth. Other aquifers are regionally important sources of water. In the coastal area, Georgia has extensive wetlands, including some 400,000 acres in the Okefenokee Swamp and nearly 500,000 acres of coastal marshes, the most extensive marshes on the eastern coast of the United States. These water resources and the rich biological diversity they support are truly exceptional assets for the State of Georgia. Although these extensive water resources could meet the multiple needs we place on them, problems are evident across the state.

Georgia's water resources, as well as those throughout the United States and in other countries, are seriously impacted by human activities, resulting in overdrafts of surface and ground water; discharges of silt, nutrients, and toxins from disposal facilities as well as runoff and infiltration from land-based activities; invasion by non-native species; degradation of riparian lands; increased flood scouring; and imposition of dams and other barriers. The effects of these stresses are potential threats to public health, concern over the reliability of water supplies, loss of biological diversity, as well as diminution of aesthetic, recreation, and economic value. To effectively address this situation, there is a critical need for sound science-based public policy.

Mission of the River Basin Center

The mission of the River Basin Center is to integrate science and policymaking at an international, national and local level by:

• Strengthening understanding of the relationship between land use and water resources through research and policy analysis;
• Communicating academic research and policy analysis by faculty and students via presentations, publications, web development, and direct service work;
• Enhancing cooperation among academic disciplines, government agencies, community groups, businesses, and citizens toward the protection of aquatic and terrestrial resources