ATLANTA, Oct. 4, 2000 (PRNewswire) — The Clean Water Initiative Task Force organized by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Business Coalition, voted 80 percent to 20 percent today in favor of a proposal to develop and implement regional solutions to the area's mounting wastewater, stormwater runoff and water supply problems.
The final proposal, which calls on 16 metro counties to collaborate on regional water quality solutions, now goes to Governor Roy Barnes and the General Assembly. Lawmakers will have to approve new legislation for key aspects of the plan to be implemented.
Termed 'Option Four,' by the task force, the final proposal was built on key elements of recent proposals put forth by business leaders, local elected officials and conservationists who have served on the panel since it was established last May.
"Our objective from the outset was to develop a practical, effective plan that could be supported by the range of stakeholders who will have to be involved to make this work," said Bill Dahlberg, chairman and CEO of Southern Co. and co-chair of the CWI Task Force. "We believe we have done that. In a process such as this, with ten pages of specific recommendations, no one will agree on 100 percent of what is there. The plan this task force adopted today constitutes a huge first step that we can take together. This proposal will make a difference in the long-term economic future of this region if we can all work together to make it a reality."
Key elements of option four include:
- Creating, through state legislation, a 16-county Metro Atlanta Water Planning District that would be responsible for the policy, planning and intergovernmental coordination involved with managing the region' stormwater, wastewater and water supply.
- Governance by a 35-member board comprised of 19 local elected officials and 16 non-elected members from the business, conservation, technical and academic communities. While the elected officials would control local implementation issues, citizen members would provide a regional voice, as well as specific knowledge and expertise to the Board.
- Approval of the regional plan by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and enforcement by EPD through denial of growth-related water treatment permits to local governments that fail to comply with the plan.
- Establishing a $2 billion state fund to provide low-interest loans to local governments for projects consistent with the regional plan. Using the Atlanta Regional Commission staff for initial planning and intergovernmental coordination.
"I believe we have produced a solid recommendation," said Ray Weeks, vice chairman of Duke-Weeks Realty and co-chair of the Task Force. "It respects the authority of local elected leaders but tasks them to work across city and county lines on what are truly regional issues. It provides a mechanism, through citizen involvement on the Board, to ensure that critical regional and technical points of view are reflected in the District's work at a policy level. And it provides a solid combination of carrots and sticks to encourage local governments to support a regional plan and punish those that do not."
The Clean Water Initiative Task Force was created to address the water quality crisis that developed as a direct result of metro Atlanta's growth and prosperity. As a byproduct of regional success, more than 1,000 miles of impaired streams and rivers are reaching their capacity to accept wastewater discharges. Additionally, a federal lawsuit is forcing the region to evaluate the severity of the situation and resolve them on an accelerated schedule, one of the most stringent in the nation.
For more information about the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, visit www.metroatlantachamber.com.
The Regional Business Coalition is a consortium of 13 metro Atlanta Chambers of Commerce: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Conyers-Rockdale, Cumming- Forsyth, Dekalb, Douglas, Fayette, Greater North Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Metro Atlanta and South Fulton County. A non-partisan, not-for-profit association, the RBC focuses on key regional issues including air quality, water and transportation.
