HR1008: HR1008 State-wide water management plan; ratify amendments

Georgia law (O.C.G.A. Article 8 of Chapter 5 of Title 12) required the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources to write a comprehensive statewide water management plan, which the Water Council adopted in 2008 and the General Assembly ratified that same year. This resolution deals with updates to that plan. The Water Council met again in September 2025 to consider changes and adopted amendments to the plan on December 9, 2025, then sent them to the General Assembly on January 12, 2026 for review under O.C.G.A. § 12-5-525. This resolution formally ratifies those amendments, gives the amended plan legal force and effect, and states that if any part of the plan ever conflicts with a state statute, the statute wins. It takes effect once the Governor signs it or it becomes law without a signature.

• Ratifies the amendments to Georgia's comprehensive statewide water management plan that the Water Council adopted on December 9, 2025.
• Gives the amended, nonstatutory water management plan legal force and effect once ratified.
• Establishes that any statute passed by the General Assembly, now or in the future, overrides the plan if the two irreconcilably conflict.
• Sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the resolution or it otherwise becomes law without a signature.
• Repeals any existing laws or parts of laws that conflict with this resolution.

The Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources and the Water Council, which develop and adopt the plan, along with water users, utilities, local governments, and industries across Georgia whose water use falls under the statewide planning framework.

Because the plan is nonstatutory, it needs the General Assembly's formal ratification to carry legal weight. This resolution keeps Georgia's statewide water management framework current, meaning the rules and guidance that shape how water resources are managed across the state reflect the Water Council's 2025 updates rather than only the original 2008 plan.

• Paragraph (1) ratifies the specific amendments the Water Council adopted on December 9, 2025 and submitted to the General Assembly on January 12, 2026.
• Paragraph (2) declares that the amended plan, though nonstatutory, has legal force and effect.
• Paragraph (3) provides that if the plan conflicts with any current or future statute, the statute controls to the extent of the conflict.
• Paragraph (4) sets the effective date as approval by the Governor or the resolution becoming law without approval.
• Paragraph (5) repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-06Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-06Act 425
3. 2026-05-06House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-10Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-10Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2026-02-24Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2026-02-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Lynn Smith (R, HD-070)Primary sponsor
• 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)

1. PassedHouse voteJanuary 29, 2026

   166 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 4 absent)

   Adopt: House Vote #464

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 10, 2026

   43 yea, 0 nay (8 not voting, 4 absent)

   Adoption: Senate Vote #695

• water management
• environmental policy
• Georgia water law
• natural resources