Bill Text: GA HB499 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Agriculture and water resources; Agricultural Water Conservation Incentive Program; change provisions

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-10 - House Second Readers [HB499 Detail]

Download: Georgia-2011-HB499-Introduced.html

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11 LC 25 5854

House Bill 499

By: Representatives Roberts of the 154th, McCall of the 30th, and England of the 108th

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

To amend Title 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to agriculture, so as to change certain provisions relating to the Agricultural Water Conservation Incentive Program of the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission; to amend Chapter 5 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to water resources, so as to provide for application of farm use data for purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of the Agricultural Water Conservation Incentive Program of the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Title 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to agriculture, is amended by revising subsection (b) of Code Section 2-6-52, relating to the Agricultural Water Conservation Incentive Program of the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission, as follows:

"(b) The purpose of the program shall be to provide incentives to agricultural producers to foster water conservation and enhance water quality and to evaluate the effectiveness of such incentives by examining available scientific data, including but not limited to farm use data collected by the commission pursuant to subsection (b.1) of Code Section 12-5-105."

SECTION 2.

Chapter 5 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to water resources, is amended in Code Section 12-5-105, relating to permits for farm uses of ground water, by revising paragraph (1) of subsection (b.1) as follows:

"(b.1)(1) The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission shall have the duty of implementing a program of measuring farm uses of water in order to obtain clear and accurate information on the patterns and amounts of such use, which information is essential to the state's proper management of water resources by the state and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Agricultural Water Conservation Incentive Program of the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission and useful to farmers for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their use of water, meeting the requirements of paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of this Code section, and improving water conservation. Accordingly, the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission shall on behalf of the state purchase, install, operate, and maintain water-measuring devices for farm uses that are required by this Code section to have permits. As used in this paragraph, the term 'operate' shall include reading the water-measuring device, compiling data, and reporting findings."

SECTION 3.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.