Sources for Georgia water planning research
Choose a source according to the question you need it to answer. A forecast, a streamgage record, a council meeting summary and a regional plan are different kinds of evidence.
Official plans and their context
| Source | Use it for | Check before relying on it |
|---|---|---|
| EPD regional plan catalog | Obtaining official regional planning documents | Region, edition and whether the linked file has changed |
| State Water Plan | Understanding the statewide framework | Publication and amendment information |
| Official region finder | Identifying a planning region from a county | The relevant administrative boundary and date |
| Regional planning explanation | Understanding the process and locating linked background material | Whether a diagram is a general explanation or describes a specific cycle |
For an old edition no longer offered in the catalog, EPD directs inquiries to its water-planning program. Identify the region, publication year and exact title or filename when requesting a copy. The catalog is also the appropriate starting point for checking the agency's current contact information.
Forecasts and technical assessments
- EPD forecasting: demand and wastewater forecast context. Read the sector definitions and dashboard coverage before comparing totals.
- Surface-water availability: the assessment framework and linked technical material about river-flow conditions.
- Groundwater availability: aquifer assessment context and supporting reports.
- Surface-water quality: receiving-water assessment context and linked studies.
Use the assessment that belongs to your plan edition. A later method can improve interpretation, but its outputs should not be silently substituted into a historical report.
Observed water data
USGS Water Data for the Nation provides access to monitoring information. It is a useful route for finding observations relevant to a place and period, while a regional plan explains a particular planning exercise.
When retrieving a station record, record the monitoring-location identifier, parameter, unit, date range and any data qualifiers. Check whether the station measures the resource or location you are actually studying. A nearby river station is not automatically evidence of the conditions at a particular intake or in a separate tributary.
Our glossary provides an introduction to terms and units. Refer to the data provider's documentation for the exact parameter definition.
Historical access and archives
The Internet Archive can preserve a document at a dated URL even when the original website has disappeared. Our document guides link to the specific captures from which the historical PDFs were recovered. An archive capture date is not the document's publication date.
Digital Library of Georgia offers catalog records and access to government publications. For example, its 2011 Altamaha record provides another route to that historical edition. Check the item record, identity of the holding institution and reuse information separately from download availability.
Finding a file online does not establish permission to republish it. This site provides original descriptions and outbound source links; public access to an original and rights to copy its expressive material are separate questions. See, for example, DLG's reuse information.
Keep a small evidence record
For each source used in a research note, record:
- Title, responsible institution and edition date.
- Publication URL and access date; archive capture if applicable.
- Relevant printed and PDF page numbers.
- Whether the claim is an observation, forecast, model result, recommendation or recorded decision.
- Definitions and assumptions that limit the claim.
That record makes comparisons auditable and makes a later broken link easier to repair. See our editorial method and document library.