{"id":2430,"date":"2011-02-02T15:24:20","date_gmt":"2011-02-02T20:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/02\/ben-copeland-on-water-and-growth-in-south-georgia.html"},"modified":"2011-02-02T15:24:20","modified_gmt":"2011-02-02T20:24:20","slug":"ben-copeland-on-water-and-growth-in-south-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/02\/ben-copeland-on-water-and-growth-in-south-georgia.html","title":{"rendered":"Ben Copeland on water and growth in south Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/a>\nBen Copeland asked the big question: “How much growth do we want?”\nHe related it to regional water in the aquifer, rivers, growth, and planning,\nspeaking at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner, 28 January 2011.\n

\nCopeland is Past Chairman of the Board, Wiregrass Technical College.\nHe serves on the regional water planning council.\nHe said\n\nthose councils were started due to worries\nabout Atlanta not having a reliable water supply.<\/a>\nHe said the councils were\n\nplanning for water and wastewater to 2050.<\/a>\nThe local regional council is the\n\nSuwannee-Satilla regional water council.<\/a>\n\n<\/a>\nHe described the\n\nextent of the water planning region<\/a> (see map).\nHe \nexpects finalization of the water plan by May.<\/a>\nHe talked about the Floridian aquifer, and how he’s worried not so much about Atlanta taking our water as about Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee.\n“Because they all have their straws in that same aquifer.”\n

\nFinally, Ben Copeland asked the big question:\n\n“How much growth do we want?”<\/a>\n

\n“Do we want to be Jacksonville?\nDo we want to be Tallahassee?\nDo we want to be a large metropolitan region?\n

\nFolks are going to move to south Georgia, I can tell you that,\nbecause of all the resources that we have.\nI’m a great believer in the free enterprise system.\nHow much do we try to limit that?<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\nI don’t know; that’s a good question.\nI know that Lowndes County and all the rest of it,\nhow do you have high and low growth at the same time.\nI don’t have any answers for that.\n

\nAs we go forward we’re going to have to answer these questions.\nWater is going to be very important as we expand our industrial base.\nBecause we’re going to have folks who like to start up jobs here\nbecause of the water we have.\nHow much of that water can be used to sustain jobs.\nThose are the questions….\n

\nPeople need to be informed; need to be aware; that we have to\nuse resources very very carefully; at the same time in a way that\nprovides jobs to our citizens for prosperity.”\n<\/blockquote>\n

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