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Committee approves substitute allowing homeowners to drill irrigation wells; Piedmont Water raises operational concerns
Summary
After testimony from Piedmont Water and county leaders, the committee adopted a committee substitute that would permit property owners in certain surface-water service areas to drill wells for irrigation use, with limits. The substitute passed the committee as amended; sponsors said the change gives homeowners an option while preserving private-
The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee approved a committee substitute on Oct. 12, 2025, providing private property owners in surface-water service areas an option to drill wells for irrigation use without authorizing sale of that water to others. The substitute, LC550632S as amended, passed the committee after senators debated competing concerns about private investment, customer protection and local public-health rules.
Adam Schaefer, chief executive officer of Piedmont Water Company, urged the panel to reject the original House bill and warned against imposing a public-utility regulatory framework on private water providers. “This legislation would force us to reassess our planned projects, which would negatively impact our customers,” Schaefer said, adding that Piedmont is one of two private companies in Georgia that invested private capital to develop surface-water sources.
Schaefer and other witnesses said…
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