Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA) launched the WaterFirst Community Program
in 2002 as a way to recognize cities and counties across the state that go beyond
state law governing water resources. The program is a voluntary partnership among
local governments, state agencies and other organizations seeking to improve
the quality of life in Georgia communities through the wise management and protection
of water resources. Only a handful of communities have received the designation;
Gwinnett County was among the first when it became a WaterFirst Community in
2003. Communities must go through a rigorous application process to the DCA demonstrating
their water resources stewardship in several areas such as water conservation,
water supply protection, and water reclamation and reuse. The WaterFirst designation
benefits named communities in other ways as well, including: eligibility for
one point off the borrowing rate for state funded loans from the Georgia Environmental
Facilities Authority (GEFA) and eligibility to receive Community Development
block grants every year for water related improvements.
Gwinnett was awarded WaterFirst status in part because of the watershed assessment
it conducted to determine the conditions of local streams and what factors
might be compromising their quality. As a result of the two-year assessment,
the County developed a watershed protection plan that addresses activities
that improve the watershed conditions, requirements for new development, and
ways to improve already affected areas.
For more information on the WaterFirst Community program, please visit DCA’s
website.
Sources: “Achieving the WaterFirst Designation: Highlights of Five Communities” from
Proceedings of the 2005 Georgia Water Resources Conference, Department of Community
Affairs website
