The Coosa-North Georgia Water Planning Council focused on water-needs projections for industrial, municipal and agricultural use during its third meeting, in Hiawassee on Wednesday.

“I felt it was very productive,” said Floyd County Commissioner Irwin Bagwell, one of the county’s three representatives on the 18-county board. “Everybody participated. There were lots of good questions on the presentations.”

Bagwell said legitimate concerns were raised about the forecasts provided by University of Georgia experts contracted by the state.

Agricultural water needs projected into 2050, for example, are based on current land use and ignore the possibility that food production could be ramped up.

“I think the numbers they presented today need to be revisited,” he said. “Even with the municipal projections, we don’t need to be locked into a low level and have to turn away an industry because we don’t have the permitting capacity to serve them.”

Rome City Manager John Bennett chairs the 25-member organization charged with drawing up the region’s portion of the statewide water management plan.

Bennett said he asked about Georgia being able to take some water out of the Tennessee River basin, based on estimates that about 3 percent of that river’s watershed is in Georgia.

A Tennessee Valley Authority official indicated they would be willing to discuss the issue, Bennett said.

He said Rome would unlikely directly benefit from such a transfer but could benefit indirectly if Dalton receives water from Tennessee. That would mean Dalton would likely take less water from the Oostanaula River, Rome’s major water source.

Also serving is Jerry Jennings, a former Floyd County commissioner who founded and chairs the Northwest Georgia Regional Water Resources Partnership.

Counties in the region are Floyd, Polk, Gordon, Catoosa, Chattooga, Walker, Dade, Whitfield, Habersham, Pickens, Fannin, White, Lumpkin, Dawson, Union, Murray, Towns and Gilmer.

Deputy Editor Mike Colombo contributed to this report.