Plan for water is ready to emerge

ATLANTA - Bob Rawlins raises his cattle and cultivates his crops far away from where a battle over the state's water supply could break out next year, but he knows the fallout could affect him and fellow farmers far into the future.

Recent droughts have left the ground dry and made it difficult for cattle farmers to get the hay and grass they need to feed their herds. Those who don't have the equipment for corn-salad feed, as Mr. Rawlins does, wonder whether they can carry on.

"Many of them have had to sell their herds completely, or reduce them," said Mr. Rawlins, who farms near the intersection of Ben Hill, Turner and Wilcox counties.

The drought is adding urgency for the water plan, expected to be unveiled in draft form Thursday before the Georgia Water Council, a group that will ultimately be responsible for carrying it out.

The plan has been largely shrouded from public view, with only bits and pieces revealed in presentations setting the stage for this week's unveiling.

"We have no idea what to expect," said April Ingle, the executive director of the Georgia River Network, part of a network of environmental groups called the Georgia Water Coalition.
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