Water is essential for life. Yet, we live in a time where water is increasingly scarce. Globally, humans are already using more than half of the available fresh water every year. Our increasing demand for water threatens the health of streams, rivers, wetlands, lakes, and the biota that live within. 

Recognizing this problem, the Georgia Flow Incentive Trust (GA-FIT) is building on the previous work of farmers, state and federal agents, and researchers to achieve water security for agricultural production and the imperiled aquatic biota of the lower Flint River Basin. The ultimate goal is a resilient water allocation strategy that provides for economic well-being of the rural region while providing healthy water resources. Critical to ensuring water security is the development of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for freshwater mussels. The plan will guide management actions based on geographic, climatic, and hydrologic conditions.  

Support for this effort is provided by the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center at Albany State University, Georgia DNR, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Jones Center at Ichauway. Our Mussel Conservation Lab is responsible for the field data collection and analysis critical for HCP development. We are conducting new mussel surveys to establish current distributions of listed mussel species, as well as analyzing historic survey data for comparison. Additionally, we are developing models to assess how available habitat changes with varying discharge rates