Sen. Jeff Chapman’s views on water conservation, water wars

’...it is far wiser to repair the holes in the bucket than to just pour more water into that leaky bucket’

This is several days old, but since there’s been quite a buzz about a recent op-ed by state Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, we thought we’d share it for the rest of the world.

Chapman’s one of the Gold Dome’s greatest enigmas. He’s one of the few Republicans who doesn’t march in lockstep with his fellow pachyderms and isn’t afraid to butt heads with leadership over his constituents’ concerns. Last year, he won an army of fans when he pointed out problems with Jekyll Island’s proposed redevelopment.

One day after Sen. Chip Pearson, R-Dawsonville, published an op-ed banging the reservoir drum, Chapman released an op-ed titled “Fixing the holes in Georgia’s water bucket.” It was a welcome response to Pearson’s call to simply build more holes.

In it, Chapman says the state should offer incentives and tax credits for low-flow toilets and fixtures, tighten up its infrastructure, and dredge existing dams. To do so would save money, prevent intrastate water wars, and send a clear signal to Alabama and Florida — and Congress — that the state is serious about its precarious situation.

After the jump, for posterity’s sake, Chapman’s full op-ed.