The Governor’s water supply program awarded funding to eight water supply projects across the state.

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority and the Georgia Department of Community affairs announced more than 90 million dollars in loans.

They’re aimed at helping finance water supply infrastructure.

The cities of Hahira and Vienna were approved for loans to construct new water supply wells. Newton, Oconee and Walton counties were all awarded 40 year loans to construct new reservoirs.

But Ben Emanuel, with American Rivers, says new reservoirs not only rack up debt—they rely on inconsistent rainfall. He recommends optimizing existing water infrastructures first:

“We would like to see local leaders pursuing water efficiency as an actual source of new supply, it’s by far the most cost effective, fastest to develop and most reliable source of new water supply.”

Georgia Environmental Finance Authority Director Kevin Clark says water conservation is part of their plan:

“Water supply the development of new water supply in conjunction with conservation efforts go hand in hand, they’re not mutually exclusive, that’s what we believe we’re doing on both these fronts.”

In January of 2011, Governor Deal committed 300 million dollars to launch the water supply program over four years.

Tags: parker wallace, Water Supply Program