By Tayleigh Davis - bio | email
ALBANY, GA (WALB) -With primary election day just a few days away, riverkeepers urge candidates for Georgia's top offices to support several methods to conserve water and protect Georgia rivers.
Otherwise, they say some waterways could dry up. Flint riverkeeprs are working to protect our water supply.
Flint Riverkeeper Gordon Rogers loves to paddle on the flint. At the same time, he's concerned the water supply may not last if the state allows Metro Atlanta more access. Rogers says the flint already dries up 100 miles downstream of Atlanta during droughts.
To conserve the water south Georgians depend on, Gordon says leaders at the state capital need to put politics aside.
"They are working in secret, continuing the conflict, and they're trying to control everything that's going on," said Rogers.
Rogers does praise the Georgia Water Stewardship Act passed this year to control water use, but he says it only solves about 10 percent of the problem.
To preserve the remaining 90 percent, Rogers says the state must also invest in leak prevention and repair, price water at a value that triggers customer to conserve, retrofit all buildings with efficient plumbing, and adopt other water saving programs like over watering prevention. He says extra measures may also save wildlife people depend on.
"Our fisheries in Florida and Georgia are absolutely affected by the water supply and the cleanliness," Rogers added.
It not only affects wildlife advocates like Rogers, but it affects everyone who depends on water from the Flint River. Georgia Riverkeepers want more transparency in the state's water negotiations with Florida and Alabama.
They also say leaders need to control transfers of water between river basins and push the federal government to re-authorize lake Lanier as a water source for Metro Atlanta.
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