Source: GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
AGRICULTURAL WATER POLICY, GA
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0195252
Grant No.
2003-38869-02007
Cumulative Award Amt.
$2,336,123.00
Proposal No.
2005-06197
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jul 1, 2003
Project End Date
Jun 30, 2008
Grant Year
2005
Program Code
[RQ]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY PLAZA
ATLANTA,GA 30303
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
For more than ten years Georgia has faced critical water resource management issues resulting from increasing population and economic growth in needs for water. The importance of these issues have been magnified by the four-year drought between 1999 and 2002. Examples include, first, a 'water war' with neighboring states Florida and Alabama over water rights in two of Georgia's major water basins. Second, as a result of sea-water intrusion affecting Hilton Head Island pumping from the Upper Floridan aquifer which supplies water for 24 Georgia counties, the State faces a real possiblity of litigation with South Carolina. Third, in an effort to mitigate problems with South Carolina the State has imposed a moratorium on new water use from the Upper Floridan aquifer. A major problem related to data interpretation will arise in efforts to estimate virgin flows in the region's major rivers and tributaries. The source of this problem is the large areas of land, drainage areas, that exist between the last down-river flow gauging station and the point at which the river discharges into the ocean. It is expected that the Center's research program will advance efforts to initiate basin water planning in the region's seven river basins, and will provide local, state, and federal agencies with more reliable data concerning irrigated agricultural activities in the region, as well as data required to address complex water resource management issues. New professionals in water policy will emerge as a result of the academic program and provide expertise that Georgia needs for it future.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
11102103100100%
Knowledge Area
111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water;

Subject Of Investigation
0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
The number 1 priority for the Agriculture Water Policy project's Coastal Rivers Water Planning and Policy Center's research program is the development of data required for the design of basin water plans. The critical need for such plans is demonstrated by the region's experiences during the recent drought--e.g., minimum flows required to protect the river's ecology were violated almost one out of every three days during 2001 in the Savannah River. Coupled with expectations for rapid growth in the coastal region, population forecasts predict the addition of one million people to the region by the year 2050. Particular attention will be given to efforts to develop estimates for virgin flows in the region's five major rivers over as long a historical record as possible. The river basins of interest for this study are the Altamaha, Ogeechee, Savannah, Satilla, St. Mary's, Ocmulgee, and Oconee basins, basins that encompass 93 counties in east Georgia. The rationale for this emphasis is obvious: one cannot develop plans for an area's water future, anticipating problems and designing policies to deal with them, when there is virtually no information regarding the possible quantities of water that will be available in future years. This is a major undertaking involving the laborious task of developing historical virgin flow from daily flow data provided by gauge stations managed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in the area's rivers and major tributaries. The estimation method per se is simple: for every gauge in all five rivers, daily readings between any two gauges are increased by water withdrawals associated with man's activities, and reduced by water discharges associated with man's activities. Significant progress for this work will require that the Center seek additional funding and the participation of other state and federal agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey and the state's EPD. The Center's plans to explore the possibility of obtaining support for a fish hatchery during Year 2 were redirected by related policy issues derived from the region's four-year drought: the dramatic decline in shrimp harvest in the coastal area, and associated declines in income. During Year 3 this work will be extended to allow study of the relationship between lagoons with hope to obtain data that will allow for analyses of trade-offs in water use, and possible mechanisms for improving the efficiency of water use between the agricultural and fisheries sectors during drought. The Center's graduate distance learning program in water policy was initiated in August 2002. During Year 3 the Center plans to extend publicity for the program to increase participation, and to move the graduate and continuing education classes ahead with interactive technologies. It is hoped that, towards the end of Year 3, financial conditions in the state will have improved to the point that the Center can resume its efforts to identify and obain funding for an environmental resource center site.
Project Methods
The Center will continue water measurement programs; extend studies of long-run availability/sustainability for regional water supplies, storage, inter-basin transfers; continue estimating impacts on farmland affected by population growth; continue communications with regional stakeholders and the Legislature, continue its academic distance-learning program; and work to establish a regional multi-disciplinary environmental resource center. Through the use of GIS,GPS systems for mapping current and projected data relating to wells, water permits, and population growth, systems dynamics models will be used to create real and hypothetical situations to help determine water use. The distance learning program will continue refining classroom techniques with the use of today's internet technologies such as WebCT software for chat rooms, possible microphone use to enable more personal interactions for student discussions, bulletin board, and video-streaming to post classes for those whose work situations my prevent regular class attendance. Video conferencing will continue as an added element. The classes may have the potential to be available to students 24/7, and much of the content will be available to students through the internet.

Progress 07/01/04 to 06/30/05

Outputs
Task (1) Quantifying Irrigated Acreage in Georgia's Coastal Region: During FY 04 the Center developed a procedure for estimating irrigated acreage using aerial photographs and satellite imagery. We expanded this approach to estimate irrigated acreage in the Altamaha River Basin and refine estimates recently estimated by EPD. We have mapped irrigated lands in about half of the 17 counties in the Altamaha Basin, and will complete the project by June 30, 2005. Task (2) Exploring Trade-Offs Between Agricultural and Fishery Uses of Water: A report on trade-offs between fresh water use in agriculture and fisheries was produced. Other projects addressed problems of: (1) using desalinated water to meet water scarcity conditions in coastal Georgia communities and in irrigating high-valued crops (2) bringing together farmers and stakeholder groups to discuss water problems in the coastal area and means of ameliorating conditions of water scarcity, and (3) quantifying the magnitude of 'under the limit' uses of water by developers and others given Georgia's 100,000 gallons/day permitting requirements. Task (3): Ameliorating Rural-Urban Conflicts Over Water: An Empirical Exploration: We studied the effectiveness of conservation pricing in an in-depth study of residential demands for water in small, rural communities. We also used two projects to address water enhancement/conservation issues. The first was an exploration of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) technologies, emphasizing the water needs of small, agricultural communities where new water use permits are capped and alternative water resources are required to accommodate new growth opportunities and to offset irrigation impacts on rivers during drought. The second study focused on the efficient design of conservation programs in rural areas. Task (4) Using Incentive Programs (Offset Banking) as a Means for Reducing Adverse Water Quality: Our program examines using incentive programs (offset banking) to reduce adverse water quality effects from poultry and to estimate the costs of retrofitting existing waste treatment plants to meet phosphorous discharges limits. We expect to provide unique data on phosphorous treatment costs and practices, with an emphasis on poultry waste management practices as nonpoint offsets. We also expect to continue efforts to promote offset banking through stakeholder meetings and workshops. Task (5) The Agricultural Water Use Metering Program: In 2004, 139 meters were installed in a sub-basin of the Flint River, along with 25 meters installed in coastal counties. 1,200 meters are to be installed during 2005, and 5,000 meters are scheduled for installation during 2006. By 2009, given sufficient funding by the state, some 27,000 meters are to be installed - thus all agricultural water use will be metered. Data from the meters installed during 2004 was analyzed. We demonstrated the use of analytical models to analyze metering data and how such data can be useful to farmers and the state.

Impacts
The Center supports a multi-disciplinary research, education, outreach and technical assistance program to support Georgia policy-makers, citizens, and students in the field of water resources. The research quantifies, monitors and analyzes water use and water needs, especially in agriculture. This helps farmers address issues of irrigation, cropping and water conservation under drought conditions. By providing assistance to government officials and regional stakeholders, research helps implement protective legislation for water resources. We provided data management and analysis for the agricultural metering program and conducted aerial imagery collection and mapping of irrigated lands to support the implementation of metering in basins scheduled for meter installation. The collection of this data vastly improves Georgia's ability to estimate and understand water use by agriculture. The outreach aspect of many of this year's projects have resulted in stakeholder meetings to listen to their concerns and work with them in efforts to guide policy research towards issues of primary concern to them. Areas of outreach include: developing a specific ASR plan that will be discussed with local stakeholders; meetings with water managers in communities; and meetings with local stakeholders to discuss their desires for redesigning the water management decision making process along the lines of establishing local, basin water management districts. The academic program provides a graduate level certificate and MPA to educate new water policy professionals.

Publications

  • Paper #2005-001 Listing Project., Ben Thompson, Dotti Crews, Jean McRae, Nick Ogden & Mike Vaquer, January 2005, (56 pp.).
  • Paper #2005-002 Residential Water Demand Management Programs: A Selected Review of the Literature, R. Peter Terrebonne, January 2005, (48 pp.).
  • Paper #2005-003 An Evaluation of Water Quality Trading for Georgia Watersheds, Kristin Rowles, January 2005 (7 pp.).
  • Paper #2005-004 Enhancing Water Supplies in the Flint River Basin: A Preliminary Exploration of the ASR Alternative, Ronald G. Cummings and Douglas Wilson, January 2005, (16 pp.).
  • Paper #2005-005 Designing Water Conservation Policies that Match Sense with Cents: A Case Study Approach, Ronald G. Cummings and Douglas Wilson, January 2005, (20 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-006 Georgia's Agricultural Water Use Metering Program: Using Results to Benefit Farmers and the State, Ronald Cummings, Mary Beth Walker, Krawee Ackaramongkolroth, Elliott Marsh, Douglas Wilson and Marty McKimmey, January 2005, (45 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-007 Conservation Pricing of Household Water Use in Public Water Systems in Georgia's Coastal Communities: A Preliminary Exploration, Ronald Cummings, Jeremy Hill, Ben Thompson and Douglas Wilson, January 2005, (14 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-008 Review of the Current State Desalination, Ulrich Ebensperger and Phyllis Isley, January 2005 (32 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-009 Accounting for Georgia's Public Water Supply, Ulrich Ebensperger and Phyllis Isley, January 2005 (45 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-010 Water Management with Downstream Externalities; The Case of the Ogeechee River Basin, Ujjayant Chakravorty and Donna K. Fisher, January 2005, (29 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-011 Estimation of Costs of Phosphorus Removal in Wastewater Treatment Facilities: Adaptation of Existing Facilities, F. Jiang, M.B. Beck, R.G. Cummings, K. Rowles, and D. Russell, May 2005 (45 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-012 Decentralized Sewer Unit Packages as an Alternative for Bulloch County to Manage Fast Growth, Russell K. Williams, Jr., Donna K. Fisher, Ph.D., and Cheryl Tatum, May 2005, (20 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-013 Conservation Pricing: Phase II Report, Ronald Cummings, Mary Beth Walker, and Douglas Wilson with Peter Terrebonne and Nick Ogden, June 2005, (20 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-014 Investor Reactions to Information Disclosure: Can Providing Public Information About Firms' Pollution Improve Environmental Performance?, Paul J. Ferraro and Toshihiro Uchida, June 2005 (8 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-015 Can Encouraging Voluntary Development of Environmental Management Systems Augment Existing Regulations?, Toshihiro Uchida and Paul J. Ferraro, June 2005, (30 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-016 Experimental Approaches to Understanding Conflict Over Natural Resources, Paul J. Ferraro and Ronald G. Cummings, June 2005, (27 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-017 Can Public Goods Experiments Inform Environmental Policies?, Paul J. Ferraro and Christian A. Vossler, June 2005 (32 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-018 Irrigated Acreage in Georgia's Altamaha River Basin During the Drought Year 2000, Krawee Ackaramongkolrotn, Peter Terrebonne, and Ronald Cummings with the assistance of graduate research assistants Ki-whan Choi, Kovadio Dongo, Panupong Panudulkitti, and Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, June 2005 (17 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-019 User-friendly Software That Allows Farmers To Use Agricultural Metering Data For Management Purposes, Elliott Marsh and Chad Ingersoll, June 2005 (9 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-020 A Feasibility Analysis of Applying Water Quality Trading in Georgia Watersheds, Kristin Rowles, June 2005 (28 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-021 Water Quality Trading: Legal Analysis for Georgia Watersheds, Kristin Rowles and Ben Thompson, June 2005 (27 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-022 Are We Getting What We Paid For? The Need for Randomized Environmental Policy Experiments in Georgia, Paul J. Ferraro, June 2005 (7 pp.)
  • Paper #2005-023 Watershed Pollutant Trading: Estimating Costs of Phosphorus Removal in Wastewater Treatment Facilities, F. Jiang, M.B. Beck, R.G. Cummings, and K. Rowles, 2005.
  • Ferraro, Paul J. 'Integrating Biophysical and Economic Information to Guide Land Conservation Investments,' chapter in Economic Advances in Land Use Policy: Implications of Emerging Research for Conservation of Farm, Forest, and Rural Character, Robert Johnson and Stephen Swallow (eds.), Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future Press, forthcoming 2005.
  • Ferraro, Paul J. (with Heidi J. Albers). 'Economics of Biodiversity Conservation in Developing Countries,' chapter in Environmental Economics for Developing Nations, Michael Toman and Ramon Lopez (eds.), Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2005.
  • Ferraro, Paul J. 'Targeting Conservation Investments in Heterogeneous Landscapes: A Distance Function Approach and Application to Watershed Management,' American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 86, No. 4, pp. 905-918, 2004.
  • Ferraro, Paul J. (with R. David Simpson). 'Protecting Forests and Biodiversity: Are Investments in Eco-friendly Production Activities the Best Way to Protect Endangered Ecosystems and Enhance Rural Livelihoods?' Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 2-10, 2005.
  • Ferraro, Paul J. (with R. David Simpson). 'Cost-Effective Conservation When Eco-entrepreneurs Have Market Power,' Environment and Development Economics, forthcoming 2005.
  • Ferraro, P.J. (with T. Uchida). 'Incentives for Voluntary Development of Environmental Management Systems .' Under review at Environmental and Resource Economics, 2005.
  • Ferraro, P.J. (with T. Uchida). 'Information Disclosure Strategies for Reducing Pollution Emissions' Under review at Environmental and Resource Economics, 2005.
  • Ferraro, P.J. (with R. Cummings). 'Cultural Diversity, Discrimination and Economic Outcomes: an experimental analysis.' Under review at The Economic Journal, 2005.
  • Ferraro, P.J. (with C. Vossler). The Dynamics of Other-regarding Preferences and Decision Error: What's Really Going on in Voluntary Contributions Mechanism Experiments? Under review at the American Economic Review, 2005.
  • Ferraro, P.J. 2005 (with K. Andam). Field Experiments for the Evaluation of Environmental Policies in Georgia. Georgia State University Working Paper, 2005.
  • Footnote: Paul J. Ferraro is a contributing author to 'Chapter 6,' Responses Working Group of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) Report. The MEA is a four-year, $21 million undertaking intended to produce a comprehensive view of the state and management of the planet's ecological resources, 2005.


Progress 07/01/03 to 06/30/04

Outputs
For more than a decade, Georgia has responded to water management issues: a compromised aquifer threatened by salt water intrusion, ongoing water conflicts and potential law suits from neighboring states. Ongoing work is focused on water management practices under drought conditions, an expanding population, and agricultural implications. Research centers on designing alternative options for basin water management plans. The state legislature is reviewing the plans designed in prior years based on data collection and research results by the consortium centers of academic excellence: Coastal Rivers Water Planning and Policy Center (Georgia Southern), Flint River Water Planning and Policy Center (Albany State), and the North Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center (Georgia State, lead university). The Consortium is known as the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center (GWPPC), a policy think tank for regional agribusiness and communities throughout Georgia. Other state funding was also obtained. Effective basin water planning: Our efforts focused on practices in other states, the value of water in agriculture, and problems with the paucity of data concerning unimpaired flows in coastal rivers. Three completed studies focus on policies in other states in (1) water use permits or reporting, (2) policies to protect the sustainability of resource systems in special areas when surface or groundwater resources are under stress, and (3) the adequacy of the 100,000 gallons-per-day limit on water use before a permit is required. Also, a pilot study concerning the possible use of dendrochronological methods to develop estimates for historical stream flows was completed. Water Use Conflicts: Our first concern during this period has focused on competition for fresh water use in the agricultural sector and in fresh water infusions to coastal lagoons, a productive environment for the growth of shrimp. The resulting paper was presented at the annual meetings of the American Agricultural Economics Association in Montreal. A related work examined the economic effects of recreational saltwater fishing in the Coastal area. Two reports studying the loss of water in small, rural communities attributable to leaks in distribution systems, and the possible use of conservation pricing to reduce water use are to be completed by June 30, 2004. Water Quality: A summary report on using agricultural practices to offset costly increases in waste treatment plants will be completed by June 2004. Academic program in Natural Resource Management: To date, more than 40 students have participated in classes, with four students scheduled to graduate with the MPA degree, and one with a Graduate Certificate. The program has an emphasis in water policy. Finally, at the request of then-Secretary of Energy (now Governor of New Mexico) Bill Richardson, we attempted to add a fourth university to our collaborative program in water resources planning and management: New Mexico Highlands University. Unfortunately, the Board of Regents at the university expressed no interest in plans for joining the program, and these plans are now dormant.

Impacts
Our water policy research in the fields of science, economics, law and policy has provided information crucial to aid in the decision making process in Georgia and beyond. The Georgia General Assembly considers new bills in each session concerning the management and protection of the water resources in Georgia. Recent legislation created the Agricultural Water Use Measurement Program, which requires meters for all agricultural water users in the state by 2009. In 2004, the General Assembly initiated a statewide water resource planning effort. The research of the Center provides practical and useful information used in the development and implementation of the new plans, laws, and regulations that seed to manage water quantity and quality.

Publications

  • Paper #2004-001 Characteristics of Water-use Control Policies: A Survey of 28 Eastern States, Ronald G. Cummings and Whitney Rusert, February 2004, (15 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-002 Policies for Identifying and Reacting to Regional Areas of Water Scarcity: Case Studies in Selected Eastern States, Ronald G. Cummings and Jennifer Adams, February 2004, (11 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-003 Minimum Water Use Levels Requiring State Permits: Is Georgia's 100,000 Gallons/Day Appropriate? Ronald G. Cummings, Jennifer Adams and Hyun-Jung Park, February 2004,(12 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-004 The Sale and Leasing of Water Rights In Western States: An Update To Mid-2003, Ronald G. Cummings, Jennifer Adams and Dottie Crews, May 2004, (38 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-005 Reconstruction of Flint River Streamflow Using Tree-Rings, Troy Knight, March 2004, (88 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-006 Riparian Vegetation Changes in Relation to Farming Activities in Ogeechee River Basin, 1970s - Present: Warren and Taliaferro Counties: An Extension, Ray Nafziger, May 2004, (17 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-007 Spatial Interaction of Domestic Fishing Fleet and Import Competition, Ujjayant Chakravorty, Donna K. Fisher and Paulo Rower, May 2004, (36 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-008 Unaccounted for Water in Georgia's Urban Areas: An Exploration of Policy Issues, Ronald G. Cummings, Nancy Norton, Virgil Norton and Douglas Wilson, December 2004, (23 pp.).
  • Paper #2004-009 Measuring Irrigated Acreage in Georgia: Methodological Issues, Ronald Cummings and Kevin Ackaramongkolrotn, September 2004, (18 pp.).
  • Paper #2004-010 Estimation of Costs of Phosphorus Removal in Wastewater Treatment Facilities: Construction De Novo, F. Jiang, M.B. Beck, R.G. Cummings, K. Rowles and D. Russell, June 2004, (29 pp.)
  • Paper #2004-011 Conservation Pricing of Household Water Use in Georgia Communities: A Preliminary Exploration, Ronald G. Cummings, Nancy Norton, Virgil Norton and Douglas Wilson, July 2004, (23 pp.).
  • Paper #2004-012 Flint River Natural Flow of the Stella ACF Model, Peter Terrebonne and Ronald G. Cummings, December 2004, (25 pp.) .
  • Paper #2004-013 The Value of Irrigation Permits to Agricultural Landowners: A Hedonic Analysis, Ragan Petrie and Laura Taylor, December 2004, (32 pp.).
  • Paper #2004-014 Crops, Water Usage, and Auction Experience in the 2002 Irrigation Reduction Auction, Susan Laury, Stephanie Hill and Ragan Petrie, December 2004, (44 pp.).
  • Paper #2004-015 Nutrient Trading in the Chattahoochee Watershed: A Feasibility Analysis, Kristin Rowles and Ronald G. Cummings, June 2004, (66 pp.).
  • Paper #2004-017 Assigning Priority to Ecosystem Restoration Investments in Georgia's Chickasawhatchee Swamp, Paul Ferraro, June 2004, (26 pp.).