---
title: O.C.G.A. § 1-4-22. Designation of ‘‘Water Professionals Appreciation Day.’’
collection: code
id: 1-4-22
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 1-4-22 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/1-4-22
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/1-4-22.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/1-4-22/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t1-t2-t3-(v3)-2019-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=6ea3b7a1_0#page=161
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
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publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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heading_path: GENERAL PROVISIONS / HOLIDAYS AND OBSERVANCES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 1-4-22. Designation of ‘‘Water Professionals Appreciation Day.’’

The first Monday in May of each year is designated as ‘‘Water Professionals Appreciation Day’’ in Georgia.

## History

Code 1981, § 1-4-22, enacted by Ga. L. 2015, p. 108, § 2/SB 119.

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 2015, p. 108, § 1/SB119, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: ‘‘The General Assembly finds that:

‘‘(1) The Georgia Water Quality Control Act was passed by the Georgia General Assembly and signed into law in 1964 by Governor Carl Sanders;

‘‘(2) At that time, there were 25 communities in Georgia which had no public sewer systems, 40 communities with a sewer system but no treatment facilities, 60 communities with a sewer system but only primary treatment facilities, 50 communities with a sewer system and secondary treatment facilities which were in need of improvement, and 395 industries which had documented untreated or inadequately treated discharges to Georgia’s surface waters;

‘‘(3) At the time of passage of the Act, many of Georgia’s surface waters were extremely polluted, and serious water quality problems existed all over the State of Georgia;

‘‘(4) The state established the Georgia Water Quality Control Board (later reconstituted as the Georgia Environmental Protection Division as a result of the 1972 Reorganization of State Government under Governor Jimmy Carter), and Governor Sanders appointed R.S. ‘Rock’ Howard to be the board’s executive secretary;

‘‘(5) By the time the Federal Water Quality Control Act was passed in 1972, most of Georgia’s industries had been brought into compliance with the initial requirements of the federal Act;

‘‘(6) Over the ensuing four decades, billions of federal, state, and local dollars have been invested in planning, designing, and constructing modern publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities throughout this state;

‘‘(7) Georgia’s water professionals are committed to operating these facilities to maintain consistent compliance with extremely stringent standards;

‘‘(8) Both publicly and privately owned facilities have performed so well that they are no longer the most significant threat to Georgia’s waters;

‘‘(9) The quality of Georgia’s waters has improved dramatically throughout this great state over the years since the passage of the original Act;

‘‘(10) It is imperative that these improvements be sustained while continuing our efforts to educate Georgians of their growing responsibility in the reduction of non-point sources of pollution to Georgia’s waters;

‘‘(11) The success that we have experienced thus far and the success that we will have is due to the tremendous dedication and efforts of Georgia’s water professionals; and

‘‘(12) It is fitting and proper that these individuals and their efforts be appropriately recognized.’’