Rep. Johnson Testifies at Hearing on Water Crisis

Statement

Congressman Hank Johnson, a member of the House Committee on Small Business, today addressed the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. The hearing focused on comprehensive watershed management and planning and drought-related issues in the Southeastern U.S.:

As you know, Georgia and much of the southeast is in the third year of what many are calling the worst drought in recorded history. The drought has arrived at a particularly poor time as the manuals directing how the water in the Alabama, Coosa, Tallapoosa and Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint river basins is managed, have not been updated in decades. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, charged with the difficult task of managing these two systems in normal years, was initially forced to manage this extraordinary drought without a plan and is now operating under an Exceptional Drought Operations Plan which will expire in the coming months. Meanwhile, with the Governors of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia failing to reach an agreement on long term water use allocation, the people of Georgia and the entire region are becoming increasingly frustrated.

It is clear that the complete failure to properly manage these river basins over the years has led directly to the situation we are currently in. It is deplorable that federal agencies and elected leaders have been unable to work together to ensure that millions of people across the southeast have adequate access to water for drinking, power generation, fishing, and recreation. Unfortunately, these are the facts, and there was no plan in place to deal with this drought when it arrived, further exacerbating the situation. Georgians now face very strict restrictions on water use and municipal water systems across the state are required to reduce their consumption by 10% or face steep fines which will then be passed on to already strapped ratepayers.

Like my colleagues from the region, I am concerned about the impact that failure to reach a long term agreement will have on the economy of the southeast. Many small businesses, already squeezed by high gas prices, are now further squeezed by the water restrictions. Many larger businesses may decide not to locate in Georgia and the millions of people who are expected to move to the region may choose instead to relocate elsewhere.

Faced with dramatic increases in their water bills and increasingly strict restrictions on how they can use their water, the people back home want a plan for managing this crisis, and a plan for preventing another similar crisis. Federal agencies and elected officials must continue to work towards both a long-term allocation of water as well as a short-term plan for managing this drought. It is unacceptable that negotiations have broken down while the people of this region grow increasingly worried.

I, however, am very proud of the citizens of Georgia as they have shown a remarkable ability to come together and adapt. Georgians have met, and in many cases exceeded the Governors mandated 10% reduction in water use. This is a remarkable achievement for a State and a metropolitan area that is rapidly growing and shows the commitment to conservation that Georgians are making.

Conservation must be an integral part of any agreement on water allocation yet the region must also consider options for increasing the amount of storage capacity in order to accommodate the projected growth. I am hopeful that as a result of this hearing and others and the continued involvement of the Secretary of the Interior as well as the Congressional Delegations from Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, that a workable solution will soon be reached.

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