--- title: HR 1008. State-wide water management plan; ratify amendments collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1008 cite_as: HR 1008, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1008 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1008.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1008/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72165 date: 2026-05-06 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1007.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1009.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 948 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1008.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1008 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-05-06 last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 sponsors: - Lynn Smith - Robert Dickey - John Corbett - Rick Townsend - Vance Smith - Drew Echols text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1008/2025 upstream_id: 2071950 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - water management - environmental policy - Water Council - Georgia water resources --- # HR 1008. State-wide water management plan; ratify amendments ## Text House Resolution 1008 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Smith of the 70th, Dickey of the 134th, Corbett of the 174th, Townsend of the 179th, and Smith of the 138th A RESOLUTION To ratify amendments to a certain comprehensive state-wide water management plan; to provide for force and effect; to provide for construction; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, pursuant to Article 8 of Chapter 5 of Title 12 of the O.C.G.A., the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources developed a comprehensive state-wide water management plan and submitted such a plan to the Water Council for adoption; and WHEREAS, the Water Council adopted such a plan on January 8, 2008, and submitted such plan to the General Assembly on January 14, 2008, for consideration by the General Assembly under Code Section 12-5-525 of the O.C.G.A.; and WHEREAS, the General Assembly ratified such plan as H.R. 1022 and the Governor signed such plan, effective February 6, 2008; and WHEREAS, the Water Council reconvened on September 29, 2025, to consider amendments to the comprehensive state-wide water management plan; and WHEREAS, the Water Council adopted such amendments to the comprehensive state-wide water management plan on December 9, 2025, and submitted those amendments to the General Assembly on January 12, 2026, for consideration by the General Assembly under Code Section 12-5-525 of the O.C.G.A.; and WHEREAS, it is the desire of the General Assembly to ratify such amendments to the plan pursuant to Code Section 12-5-525 of the O.C.G.A. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: (1) That the amendments to the comprehensive state-wide water management plan adopted by the Water Council on December 9, 2025, on file in the office of the director of the Environmental Protection Division, and submitted to the General Assembly on January 12, 2026, are hereby ratified pursuant to Code Section 12-5-525 of the O.C.G.A.; (2) That such amended nonstatutory plan shall have force and effect; (3) That in the event any provision of such amended nonstatutory plan irreconcilably conflicts with any current or future statute enacted by the General Assembly, then, to the extent of the conflict, the provisions of such statute shall control; (4) That this resolution shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval; and (5) That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with this resolution are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. 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. ### Plain-language summary 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 it 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. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-06) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-06) - Sponsors: Lynn Smith, Robert Dickey, John Corbett, Rick Townsend, Vance Smith, Drew Echols - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72165 > The history, votes, and amendments (948 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1008.md?full=1