A positive step in Georgia

Members of the Georgia Legislature and Gov. Sonny Perdue were in a buoyant mood Wednesday following passage of water conservation bills in both the state House and the Senate. The self-congratulatory air, however, is premature. Much legislative and administrative work remains to be done before the state can adequately protect and conserve its water resources and start to resolve its long-standing water wars with Florida and Alabama.

The House and Senate bills are identical, but remain, by law, separate pieces of legislation. Each must still "cross over" to the other chamber for approval before a final version is sent to the governor for his signature. That process can be difficult, but not in this instance. Swift approval is expected, and the governor promises to sign the legislation promptly. The water conservation package could become law before the week is out.

Georgia's water woes are far too complex for one bill, useful as it might be, to cure. The conservation measures proposed by Gov. Perdue and approved by legislators are beneficial. They require, among other things, the use of water-efficient fixtures in new construction and special metering in both residential and commercial developments. The bills also set standards for outdoor watering and require the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to produce a statewide water conservation plan by Aug. 1. Those are positive steps, to be sure, but hardly deserving of the celebration they prompted Wednesday.

Hard work remains to be done if Georgia, especially Atlanta, is to manage its insatiable and insupportable appetite for water. If that is to be done, the conservation bill must be buttressed by still broader revision of building codes, by creation of long-term growth plans, by significant improvement in infrastructure, by reservoir development and by conservation programs barely touched upon in the current legislation. And that's just a start.

Georgia also has to reach accord with Florida and Alabama over water rights. If it does not, chaos could result. A federal court ruling last summer said that metro Atlanta had little legal right to Lake Lanier's water. The judge gave the three states until 2012 to reach an agreement; If they do not, Atlanta's access to its main water source could be limited to the level it was in the 1970s. That deadline is the catalyst for the new-found urgency with which Gov. Perdue and legislators are addressing the water issue.

After years of desultory, even adversarial, conversations on the topic with neighboring states, Georgia is finally acting in its best interest. It's about time. Gov. Perdue is communicating with his counterparts. Advice from conservationists and environmentalists, once anathema, is now sought and accepted. Indeed, reports suggest that serious discussions about development of an interstate water compact are in the works if they are not already underway. That certainly is welcome.

The truth, though, is that Georgia's and Atlanta's water woes remain despite approval of the water conservation bill. Its passage does signal the state's willingness to be a good steward of its natural resources, but that's not enough. Much more must be done if the state is to conserve water and by doing so protect its prospects for future growth and development in the region that has long been Georgia's economic anchor.