Every Wednesday, Blog for Democracy and the Democratic House Caucus will provide views from Georgia’s Democrat State Representatives.
This week we hear from State Rep. Debbie Buckner (D-Columbus). She was first elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 2002. House District 130 consists of parts of Talbot, Harris, and the eastern part of Muscogee County.
BILL SUMMARY: HB 1039 provides a state-wide outdoor watering schedule during certain time periods. It bans outdoor irrigation between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. except for commercial agricultural operations, irrigation of personal food gardens or new landscape installed by licensed professionals for a period of 30 days following installation.
REP. DEBBIE BUCKNER COMMENTS: Georgia has enjoyed plentiful rainfall the past several months, but if we have learned anything from the most recent drought, it is that we cannot take our water supply for granted. Taking into consideration the “water wars” with Alabama and Florida and last year’s federal court decision restricting metro Atlanta’s use of water from Lake Lanier, it is more important than ever that we do a better job of preparing for future dry spells.
This is why I have introduced legislation that encourages all Georgians to conserve our water resources by providing a consistent schedule for outdoor watering on a statewide basis. Under HB 1039, watering would take place only from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. This is a cost-effective solution because during the heat of the day, as much as half the water used outdoors is lost through evaporation. Horticulture experts also say that daytime watering is more likely to cause problems with fungus, particularly in lawns.
The consistent schedule would be easier for residents to remember than the odd/even day alternation that some communities utilize. Agricultural operations, personal food gardens and new landscaping would be exempt from the restrictions, and local control would be protected as implementation and enforcement would be left up to local governing authorities.
Abiding by a statewide outdoor watering schedule by all Georgians would show our neighboring states we are making a good-faith effort to conserve our resources and have a very positive effect on being prepared for future drought conditions. HB 1039 has strong bipartisan support, and I am hopeful it will be quickly approved.
TAKE ACTION: In addition to encouraging you to conserve water and other resources, I ask you to contact your local representative and voice your support for this bill. We must all do our part to conserve our natural resources.
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