{"id":1802,"date":"2011-07-05T17:44:10","date_gmt":"2011-07-05T21:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/07\/ponds-for-flood-control-and-irrigation.html"},"modified":"2011-07-05T17:44:10","modified_gmt":"2011-07-05T21:44:10","slug":"ponds-for-flood-control-and-irrigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/07\/ponds-for-flood-control-and-irrigation.html","title":{"rendered":"Ponds for flood control and irrigation?"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/a>
\nBuild retaining ponds upriver to capture flood waters and use them for irrigation?
\nThat would be a start on some of the
\nmany water concerns.<\/a>
\nTim Carroll sent the appended to a long list of people Sunday.
\n-jsq<\/p>\n

\nAll,<\/p>\n

\nImportant news concerning storm water\/flood water management in our
\narea. As noted below in Larry’s email, much work has been done to find
\nsolutions. I made this presentation to both the local and state Chamber
\nGovernmental Affairs Council’s soliciting their support. There have
\nalso been numerous contacts with state and federal representatives
\nconcerning this issue.<\/p>\n

\nAs always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.<\/p>\n

\nHappy Independence Day,<\/p>\n

\nTim Carroll\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nFrom: Larry Hanson
\n
\nSent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 4:10 PM
\n
\nTo: Tim Carroll
\n
\nSubject: FW: Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water Plan Comments<\/p>\n

\nMayor and Council;<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>
\nAny and all Georgians have the opportunity to comment on the proposed
\nstate water plan and specifically the Suwannee-Satilla Regional Water
\nPlan that covers our region. As you know, I made a presentation to the
\nregional water council late last year in Douglas regarding regional
\nstormwater and the need to address this issue as part of the state water
\nplan. The presentation was\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

\nwell received by the Council and they
\nindicated they support the need for more study. The concept is to
\nbuild strategically located regional reservoirs to capture stormwater
\nrun-off to protect communities like ours from flood events and utilize
\nthis stormwater for documented agricultural needs and to address drought
\nand low flow issues in our region’s water sources. It is a perfect
\nmarriage to solve one problem while eliminating another.<\/p>\n

\nWith the water plan now up for adoption, comments can be provided to EPD
\nfor consideration and review. I provided the attached comments
\nyesterday on behalf of the city. We are keenly aware that we are at
\nthe bottom end of the drainage basin and that 99% of the stormwater that
\nenters our city comes from outside our city as far north as Ashburn,
\nTift Co., Cook Co, etc. Therefore flood events are beyond our
\ncontrol, authority, ability and capability to prevent. The issue must
\nbe addressed regionally. We have adopted a stormwater master plan to
\naddress what we are capable of locally, but it will take regional
\ncooperation and state support to truly solve the issue. The
\ncomments are an attempt to keep this issue at the forefront and to
\ndemonstrate to all that the city continues to pursue all options to
\nassist in resolving the drainage issues we inherit from major rain
\nevents upstream. We want to continue to do all possible to prevent
\nanother flood event that occurs because of the region’s stormwater.<\/p>\n

\nIt is my understanding that Representative Carter has some of the
\nGovernor’s staff coming to visit our community soon and I have asked
\nthat the city be given the opportunity to make a presentation to them as
\nwell on this issue. The state now has funds for regional reservoirs,
\nalthough we are all aware the intent is to address the water issues in
\nmetro Atlanta. We want to be sure this region and this issue receives
\nequal and due consideration for projects. I believe our
\nrecommendations are solid and represent good public policy, sound
\nscience and a unique opportunity to solve two major issues with one
\nsolution.<\/p>\n

\nI just wanted all of you to know we continue to pro-actively work this
\nissue.<\/p>\n

\nThanks, Larry\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Attached was the appended document. -jsq<\/p>\n

\nThe City of Valdosta would first like to commend the Georgia Environmental
\nProtection Division (EPD), Suwannee-Satilla Council, and all others
\ninvolved for their efforts throughout the regional water planning
\nprocess.\u00a0 Each plan is specific to its region\u2019s water supply and
\nneeds, while also encompassing the intent of the Georgia Comprehensive
\nStatewide Water Management Plan.\u00a0 Through the available data, reasonable
\nrecommendations have been identified for water supply, wastewater,
\nconservation and stormwater.\u00a0 The recommendations reflect specifically
\nour water sources, the agricultural, industrial, and municipal users,
\nand recognizes the implementation needs of technical support, guidance,
\nand funding.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nWhile a tremendous amount of data is available for the Suwannee-Satilla,
\nthere are areas that need attention and continued studies, including
\nthe regional management of stormwater.\u00a0 In early 2009, 46 counties in
\nSouth Georgia were declared disaster areas as the result of flooding.\u00a0
\n
\nThe City of Valdosta was greatly impacted<\/a> by this event as a result of
\nbeing located on the downstream end of where the Withlacoochee River and
\nLittle River sub-watersheds join together.\u00a0 Valdosta contributes only
\napproximately 1% to the total 1,450 square miles that drain into these
\nwatersheds, so without regional coordination our local efforts cannot
\nsolve the massive stormwater issue we inherit, and certainly we cannot
\nprevent another event of the 2009 magnitude without state assistance,
\nfunding and regional support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBased on the EPD website, there are 105 cities and 39 counties that are
\npermitted by the State through the Phase I or II programs.\u00a0 These federal
\nregulations have helped to implement stormwater measures across the state;
\nhowever, every community is impacted by stormwater and a large number
\nof communities in Georgia are not taking appropriate measures to address
\nthe long-term impacts.\u00a0 By implementing a regional approach, this would
\nhelp to streamline stormwater management through consistent control
\nmeasures, regulations, and provide a more cost-effective approach.\u00a0
\nThrough the proper evaluation, a series of storage areas could be
\nidentified to control stormwater flows, while providing additional
\nbenefits such as water quality, water quantity, and additional water
\nsupply.\u00a0 To implement such measures, the coordination between local,
\nstate and federal organizations is critical.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nIn addition, a regional task force or sub-committee should be formed,
\nto continue the work of the Suwannee-Satilla Council, while representing
\nall stakeholders and providing a formal planning mechanism to address the
\nregional stormwater issues. Such a planning effort presents a unique
\nopportunity to address multiple concerns as identified in the proposed
\nregional water plan. For example, by seeking the opportunity to merge
\nregional needs associated to agriculture, drought, and low flow with a
\nregional challenge such as stormwater, the two issues can be addressed
\nsimultaneously and provide environmentally responsible solutions that
\nbest utilize our precious resources.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe Suwannee-Satilla plan specifically recognizes the drought and low flow
\nconditions experienced throughout the state and particularly in this area
\nwhere agriculture is so important to the economy. Dramatic decreases in
\nthe average water depth of rivers has occurred based upon measurements
\nfrom 1965 and 2000 as compared to present measurements.\u00a0\u00a0 According
\nto Brian McCallum, Assistant Director of the U.S. Geological Survey,
\nthe river data measured on June 17, 2011, shows all the waterways in
\nSouth Georgia are at record lows and becoming more severe. In areas
\nof South Georgia the normal rainfall should be 25 inches; however is
\ncurrently at 16 inches. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
\ncompleted a recent survey and determined that \u00a0as of June 12th, 42%
\nof the state\u2019s corn crop was poor or very poor,\u00a0 46% of the state\u2019s
\ncotton crop was poor or very poor, \u00a0and 73% of the state\u2019s pastures
\nand ranges were poor or very poor.\u00a0\u00a0As a result, Governor Deal has
\nrequested the USDA to declare 22 counties agricultural disaster areas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nBy considering a number of practices, including the use of regional
\nreservoirs, stormwater can be captured, stored, and utilized to
\naddress surface water gaps. While the benefits can include irrigation
\npurposes, drought relief, and low flow conditions in streams, it is
\nimportant to carefully evaluate the placement of such reservoirs so that
\nenvironmentally sensitive areas are not lost and other negative adverse
\nimpacts are created. It is our position that addressing the regional
\nneeds collectively is sound science, public policy, and efficient use of
\nresources.\u00a0\u00a0We commend the efforts put forth through the 2011 Water
\nReservoir Act and believe the associated funding for reservoirs should
\nlook beyond the needs of metro Atlanta and that projects in south Georgia
\nshould have equal priority and commitment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThe City of Valdosta is committed to seeking viable solutions so that our
\nwater resources are protected and managed, while providing the highest
\nquality service to our community for generations.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Build retaining ponds upriver to capture flood waters and use them for irrigation? That would be a start on some of the many water concerns. Tim Carroll sent the appended to a long list of people Sunday. -jsq All, Important news concerning storm water\/flood water management in our area. As noted below in Larry’s email, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,202,47,40,16,2,54,55,89],"tags":[512,59,8701,4134,345,127,7,4155,63,6,8765,8727,58],"class_list":["post-1802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-agriculture","category-climate-change","category-community","category-environment","category-government","category-valdosta-city-council","category-water","category-weather","tag-chamber-of-commerce","tag-flood","tag-georgia","tag-irrigation","tag-larry-hanson","tag-little-river","tag-lowndes-county","tag-suwannee-satilla-regional-water-plan","tag-tim-carroll","tag-valdosta","tag-vlcoc","tag-water","tag-withlacoochee-river"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1802\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}