By Rebecca Carrillo, DWFI Program Coordinator
Demand for water is increasing across the United States while precipitation patterns are becoming less reliable for agricultural production. Unpredictable rainfall and drought conditions are straining water resources nationwide, especially in eastern regions that have historically had high levels of precipitation. Georgia faces these challenges directly, which has prompted DWFI’s Program Coordinator Rebecca Carrillo to investigate how Georgia is adapting to these changing patterns.
Rebecca’s project evaluates Georgia’s water resources, agricultural practices, institutional frameworks and challenges, with a focus on agricultural water use. She aims to better understand the state’s current policy approaches and water governance strategies. In collaboration with DWFI, the National Drought Mitigation Center and water experts from across the state of Georgia, Rebecca’s work will eventually result in a report providing an overview of the findings for other regions interested in or facing similar conditions.
Why Georgia is important
Georgia is a unique case study because of its geography, water law and approach to water conservation. In the western U.S., water scarcity is familiar and many states have built out extensive legal frameworks and water markets to allocate water among water users. However, in the eastern U.S., the water law and historical environmental conditions are different. In Georgia, more recent drought conditions and changing precipitation patterns have contributed to increasing demand in irrigation. Sharing limited water resources between municipal, industrial and agricultural water users can be challenging. Georgia offers insight into how eastern U.S. states and their water governance strategies are adapting.
Hydrology and agriculture
Georgia’s water resources are complex and directly shape agricultural production. The northern half of the state has a large surface water network of rivers and streams, so irrigation in this region primarily uses surface water. In the southern half of Georgia, producers mostly irrigate with groundwater from the productive aquifers of the coastal plain. Key crops include peanuts, cotton and corn. Over time, Georgia’s crop production has expanded, increasing irrigation. Sensitive environmental regions, such as the Flint River Basin in southwestern Georgia, are learning to balance water use for agriculture with environmental demand.
Water governance and water law
In the state of Georgia, water law is based on a riparian rights system for surface water and reasonable use doctrine for groundwater. Under this water law system, the right to water is attached to land ownership, which makes it difficult to administratively transfer a water right between users. This is especially important during periods of water scarcity, which are becoming increasingly common. Statewide planning, regional water councils and a water withdrawal permitting system all aim to regulate water usage across the state. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division oversees water permits, and the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission works with the federal government to implement water conservation programs including the USDA-run Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
Additionally, Georgia has implemented irrigation suspension auctions, an interesting approach to water conservation. Auctions are a mechanism used in water markets that allow water users to buy and sell water rights, water allocations or water permits. Several irrigation suspension auctions have been conducted in the Lower Flint River Basin as a method of reducing water use in the region. Understanding these emerging water management tools, such as the auctions, could help to improve drought resilience in Georgia and support agricultural water users across the U.S. in the future.
Looking ahead
Rebecca’s work aims to help policymakers, water managers, producers and others understand Georgia’s agricultural water landscape by examining its interconnected elements of agriculture, climate, hydrology, state water management, water law and water market mechanisms. The insights from Georgia's experience offer lessons that can inform water management strategies in other regions facing similar agricultural and hydrological challenges and contribute to DWFI’s mission of addressing water and food security challenges in high-productivity commercial agriculture.