Thank you to the over 600 people who took action in an effort to stop this bad bill! Unfortunately, HB 1146 has passed through the legislature and is on its way to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Water taken from the Floridan Aquifer is a limited resource—especially in Effingham, Bryan, Chatham, and Liberty Counties. These counties’ natural resources are feeling the pressure from rapid and rampant industrialization as “logistics centers” and corporations place heavy demands on water access and usage.
HB 1146 (R. Stephens, R-Savannah), which addresses water withdrawals specifically for “consumptive use” (water that will never go back into the aquifer), will allow private individuals to bypass local governments and water utilities and get a permit to sell water to developers.
HB 1146 is a threat to sustainable, planned development
Public water suppliers and local governments have been charged buy our State Constitution and Legislature to protect our limited, shared resources, including water in the Floridan. They must protect both the quality and quantity. For this reason, public utilities and local governments work closely together to ensure new growth is planned and approved in concurrence with available infrastructure and capacity. This is all done through important public processes like the adoption of zoning ordinances and comprehensive land use plans and regional water management plans. These public resources ensure the distribution of public resources, like drinking water, is done in an efficient, equitable, and fiscally responsible manner.
If signed into law, HB 1146 would allow private companies or individuals to receive a permit from EPD to withdraw water from the Floridan Aquifer and sell it to developments without a letter of concurrence from a local water utility or government. The passage of this bill would allow individuals to profit from the sale of the limited supply of drinking water from the Floridan Aquifer, putting the responsible planning and coordination by local governments and utilities at risk, as well as the long-term sustainability of our water supply.
Learn more about our issues with HB 1146 on our Legislative Priorities page (Water Privatization Bill: HB 1146).
Learn more about our work with water access and supply issues, particularly on our North Coast.
