ATLANTA (March 2, 2011) – Today the Senate overwhelmingly passed Sen. Ross Tolleson’s (R-Perry) bill to allow local governments to utilize public/private partnerships to finance water infrastructure projects. The Georgia Public/Private Water Supply Act of 2011 (Senate Bill 122) will allow state and local governments to voluntarily partner with private investors on the construction of reservoirs and other water infrastructure projects.
“This bill is entirely about local control. It simply gives local governments another tool to finance an infrastructure project to meet that community’s water needs,” said Tolleson. “The Water Supply Act compliments the conservation bill we passed last year, and puts Georgia on the path to ensuring we can maintain the water resources needed to keep up with a rapidly growing state.”
The process outlined in the bill is similar to the public/private procurement code that has been successfully implemented at the Georgia Department of Transportation and would provide a new, viable option for financing as local governments and the state continue to face significant budget challenges. The legislation aligns with Governor Nathan Deal’s efforts to ensure that Georgia will be able to meet its long-term water needs.
State leaders are working to ensure that any legislation regarding Georgia’s water supply meets the recommendations of the Water Contingency Task Force, a group of government, business and environmental leaders from across the state. Early last year, the task force recommended that any future water planning focus on statewide conservation, capture and control of the state’s water supply. As continued access to adequate water resources remains in question for future use, Tolleson’s bill could be used to accelerate access to the creation of future water supplies for needy areas of the state.
As chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, Tolleson passed the most comprehensive water conservation bill in Georgia’s history last year, which outlines proactive steps in planning for water enhancement during future extreme drought conditions and additional water emergencies.
SB 122 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Sen. Ross Tolleson serves as Chairman of the Natural Resources and the Environment Committee. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Pulaski, and Telfair counties and parts of Houston and Wilcox counties. He may be reached at 404.656.0081 or by e-mail at ross.tolleson@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
March 2, 2011
For Information Contact:
Natalie Strong, Director
Kallarin Richards, Deputy Director
Kallarin.Richards@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028