Lack of Leadership on Water Issues

The area north of Atlanta along Georgia 400 is fast becoming the last 25 years. There are residential subdivisions along the corridor in the county north of Fulton and South Forsyth County that are now ripening in age. These older subdivisions are now beginning to experience the consequences of poor planning associated with its sewer and infrastructure of the storm. The developers have turned the common areas of subdivisions to the associations. The associations are doing everything they can to avoid financial and legal
responsibility associated with the management of storm sewer that leads to an unanswered question: Who is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure of the association when it goes private developer? Local governments are rejecting the financial burden of managing these systems in private developments because they will not raise taxes. This theme is being repeated in the relatively young northern municipalities Fulton Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek and Cumming in Forsyth County. The problem that homeowners, associations, counties and municipalities face is the problem can not be ignored. Federal law and state law in Georgia, put the burden of management of the watershed line in local jurisdictions. The affected local jurisdictions in this area have responded by running the maintenance requirements of stormwater that put the burden on partnerships. Partnerships are not legal response. Due to a lack of support and professional resources, do not motivate the majority of the board of the association to take these requirements seriously. In fact, while state and local governments have assigned responsibility for management of the watershed line to the subdivision private partnerships, the partnerships, because of ignorance, their willingness to pay pools and clubs on stormwater sewers, and / or absolute defiance of the law, have amended their declarations and conventions to avoid requirements that maintain the storm sewers and detention ponds on their progress. Partnership agreements put in direct contravention of the goals and objectives of federal, state and local laws. Local governments in turn are not enforcing the laws against associations due to fears of political fallout, particularly when larger subdivisions are involved. There are subdivisions in the area that have enough members to affect the composition of boards and committees of local boards. Remarkably, some of these councils and boards often trumpet their water management and environmental programs as being the best in the nation. Most people are apathetic, that should not be any surprises. Since North Georgia has not been without water and undeveloped natural areas in the past, there is little effective leadership in the area of management of the watershed line. Local governments in the area are delaying sewer utilities in the storm and are shifting their priority to budget cuts. While this is an expected reaction to an issue that does not draw much public attention, is in contradiction to the policy calls for solutions to Georgia 's water problems The problem is stormwater management programs that are tightly linked to issues of water resources. Fishermen, environmentalists, and homeowners with trout ponds arrest deterioration in their backyards should not be the only people worrying the management of the watershed line. The solution to Georgia 's lack of water in the future lies in effective management of water resources issues. The state and local representatives who make aggressive calls for new water supplies need to realize that the management of the watershed line is a crucial component to the solutions to water scarcity.