Lake Allatoona Water Resource Planning and Source Water Protection: An Overview of Planning Across Jurisdictional Boundaries

The Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority, as part of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's Source Water Assessment Program, has studied source water impacts and protection measures within the Lake Allatoona watershed. Lake Allatoona covers 1,100 square miles and has been studied over the past ten years to determine the status of the lake and watershed and what “impacts” are threatening this resource. Impacts were of various nature and included impacts from land use to munitions in the watershed.Additionally, based on Census 2000 results, counties that are within the Lake Allatoona watershed will experience heavy growth over the next ten years. This increased growth will be in the upper reaches of the watershed in rural counties that can impact the lake and its watershed. The watershed contains nine counties and nineteen municipalities that have different land use policies and planning measures. The Etowah River, which furnishes 80% of the flows for Lake Allatoona, passes through these developing counties. Two of the upstream counties do not have zoning requirements for developments. This caused a dilemma in the watershed and posed planning problems for watershed and source water protection.With this increased growth and development there will be increased demands on water supply and treatment. With this increased demand there was a need for water resources planning and source water protection. From 1999 to 2001 the Authority conducted a Source Water Assessment Project funded through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's Drinking Water Program. Data collected from this project enabled the Authority to focus its efforts toward sound planning principals in the watershed.This paper will explore the various trends, policies and planning that the Lake Allatoona Preservation Authority initiated for water resource planning and source water protection within the Lake Allatoona watershed. This includes the development of public and private partnerships for watershed protection, a Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan that included the development of “unified” planning across jurisdictional boundaries.