Georgia CommonsHR 1008: State-wide water management plan; ratify amendments
Last action May 6, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-07-01
A Georgia House resolution ratifies amendments to the state's comprehensive water management plan, updating the guiding policy document that shapes how Georgia manages its water resources.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia's Environmental Protection Division and the Water Council periodically update a comprehensive state-wide water management plan, first ratified by the General Assembly in 2008. This resolution formally approves amendments the Water Council adopted on December 9, 2025 after reconvening in September 2025 to review the plan. The resolution gives the amended plan legal force and effect, but specifies that if any part of the plan conflicts with a current or future Georgia statute, the statute wins. It takes effect once the Governor signs it or it becomes law without a signature, and it repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Ratifies amendments to the comprehensive state-wide water management plan that the Water Council adopted on December 9, 2025.
- Gives the amended, nonstatutory plan legal force and effect once ratified by the General Assembly.
- Establishes that any statute passed by the General Assembly overrides the plan if the two irreconcilably conflict.
- Sets the resolution's effective date as the day the Governor signs it or it becomes law without a signature.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this resolution.
Who it affects
The Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources, the Water Council, and any state or local agencies, utilities, and water users whose activities are governed by Georgia's state-wide water management plan.
Why it matters
By ratifying the updated plan, the General Assembly makes the Water Council's revised water management policies legally effective statewide, shaping how Georgia agencies and water users plan for water supply, use, and conservation going forward.
Key provisions
- Paragraph (1) ratifies the specific amendments adopted by the Water Council on December 9, 2025 and submitted to the General Assembly on January 12, 2026.
- Paragraph (2) states the amended plan is nonstatutory but shall have force and effect once ratified.
- Paragraph (3) resolves conflicts by giving priority to any current or future statute over the plan's provisions.
- Paragraph (4) sets the effective date as approval by the Governor or becoming law without approval.
- Paragraph (5) repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“That such amended nonstatutory plan shall have force and effect;”
“then, to the extent of the conflict, the provisions of such statute shall control”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-07-01
- Act 425
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
Show full history (15 actions)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Lynn Smith (R, HD-070)
- Robert Dickey (R, HD-134)
- John Corbett (R, HD-174)
- Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
- Vance Smith (R, HD-138)
- Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
Votes
- House voteJanuary 29, 2026
166 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 4 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 10, 2026
43 yea, 0 nay (8 not voting, 4 absent)
Topics
- water management
- environmental policy
- Water Council
- Georgia water resources