Anya Traczynski of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division told the subcommittee that EPD administers Clean Water Act programs and issues permits to withdraw surface and groundwater for any use that exceeds 100,000 gallons per day.
Traczynski described EPD’s role as issuing permits, evaluating need, assessing safe yield and considering impacts on other users when reviewing a withdrawal application. She said withdrawal permits include water conservation plans and drought contingency plans and that the department provides the technical basis for planning while regional councils and local governments prioritize and choose local solutions.
On planning, Traczynski summarized the state’s approach: 10 regional water planning councils (outside the Metro District) and the Metro District coordinate through models such as the Basin Environmental Assessment Model (BEAM) to analyze withdrawals, returns and storage across basins. The councils’ multi‑year plans inform permitting and loan decisions and may recommend reservoirs, reuse projects, metering improvements and other management practices.
Traczynski said EPD and the councils rely on multiple data sources, including USGS gauges, municipal reports, population forecasts from the Office of Planning and Budget, and stakeholder projections for agriculture and industry. She said the first statewide regional water plans were completed in 2011 and updates followed in 2017 and 2023, with further updates planned on the five‑year cycle.
Why it matters: EPD is the agency that sets and enforces permit conditions that determine whether and on what terms new large withdrawals are allowed. Lawmakers will be relying on EPD’s technical assessments as they consider whether statutory or administrative changes are needed for data center oversight.