And by then, it's too late to get it back. For decades, as our region grew at an explosive rate, we took it for granted that we would have an unlimited supply of clean water. We saw the crystal clear Chattahoochee River tumbling down from the mountains and figured there would always be plenty of water where that came from. But today I'm here to tell you we can no longer take our water supply for granted. And I am determined that our well will not run dry.
Water is the economic lifeblood of our state.
There is nothing more essential to our future than protecting our water. We can build roads, create new parks and improve our schools. But without water, our economic prosperity will surely wither, and our quality of life will suffer. So, we have to take some bold steps before it's too late. I want to thank all of those who worked with the Clean Water Initiative.