Since 1988, Georgia has required permits for those who pump water from either groundwater or surface waters of the state for agricultural uses. The Agricultural Permitting Unit (APU) of the Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division evaluates and issues those permits.


Land owners who pump groundwater or whose tenants pump groundwater for agricultural uses, including irrigation, livestock watering, greenhouse watering, commercial fish production, and certain primary food processing operations like washing and cooling freshly picked vegetables may be required to have permits. The threshold is 100,000 gallons per day when use is averaged over any month. Generally this means all wells whose borehole is 6 inches in diameter or greater must be permitted. Smaller wells fitted to pump more than 70 gallons per minute, or multiple small wells used to irrigate different sections of orchards or fields will also require permits. These are Groundwater Withdrawal Permits.

Surface water users are required to obtain Surface Water Withdrawal permits if the threshold pumping rate (100,000 gallons per day/70 gallons per minute) and farm use conditions apply. All direct stream withdrawals must be permitted. Some will have low-flow limits for their use. Ponds may or may not require permits. Some ponds intercept intermittent or continually flowing streams that are considered Waters of the State. Permits are required for these. Ponds shared along property lines are considered Waters of the State and withdrawals from them require permits. Some ponds are located in draws and depressions where runoff only occurs during rainstorms. Permits are generally not required for these. EPD can provide a determination of which type of pond fits your condition.

Ponds are also used to store groundwater. If a pond has no inflow except that pumped from a well, a groundwater permit is required for the well. If the pond intercepts runoff or stream flow AND has water pumped in periodically from a well, a combined Well-to-Pond Water Withdrawal permit is issued.

All permits are issued to land owners who have the deed for the location where the well or pump station was located. Renters should arrange for permits through their rentor. Permits are transferable during sale of the land on which the well or pump location was permitted, providing that the new owners use it for the same purpose.


To better serve the agricultural community, the APU was moved from Atlanta to permanent headquarters in Tifton, Georgia during 2006. If you are in the area, you can visit them there. (see where)

     Contact them by mail:
          EPD Agricultural Permitting Unit
          531 Main Street, Suite D
          Tifton, GA 31794-4898

     Reach them by phone: (229) 391-2400

     Email their permitting specialists:

          If your system includes a well, send Edward Rooks a message Edward_Rooks@dnr.state.ga.us
          If your system includes only surface pumps, contact Chris Ward Christopher_Ward@dnr.state.ga.us


Permitting is a two stage process:

  1. File an application to obtain a Letter of Concurrence before you begin drilling or installing;
  2. Return information needed to obtain a Water Withdrawal Permit after drilling or installation is complete.
A Letter of Concurrence is your permission to drill a well or install pumps. A Water Withdrawal Permit is your permission to pump water from that well or surface source. You need to initiate action for each stage.

To obtain a Letter of Concurrence, make an application to EPD at the Ag Permitting Office. Application forms can be downloaded and printed from the EPD website: Water Withdrawal Permitting. You may also obtain application assistance or information from the Ag Permitting Unit at the address above, at regional offices of EPD, and at most offices of the Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. EPD geologists and hydrologists will evaluate your application and issue a Letter of Concurrence if possible. EPD will work with you to find a suitable source of water if any is available, but you should not assume that a Letter of Concurrence will be issued for every location or water source.

To obtain a Water Withdrawal Permit, have your well drilled and pumps installed at the location and in the manner specified in the Letter of Concurrence. The Letter of Concurrence will also specify what is needed for the next step. This usually involves confirmation that the well was drilled correctly (well log), that a water flow meter was installed and approved by the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission, and, in some regions of the state, that a water conservation plan was completed. Submit these follow-up forms to the APU office. EPD will schedule a site visit to confirm installation and record final installed location. A few weeks later you will be mailed a Water Withdrawal Permit. It includes any limitations on your system, and provides a aerial photo-based map of your pump location.


The application for a Letter of Concurrence asks for the specific location where you intend to drill a well or install pumps. These are needed because your pumping may impact other water users or impaired water sources. Once EPD geologists and hydrologists know where you plan to drill or pump, they can evaluate the impact of your pumping. If impacts are reasonable, you will be issued a Letter of Concurrence. If there is a problem, EPD will work with you to find alternatives, if any are available.

Determine the location where you plan to withdraw water using one of the following methods:

  1. Visit the site with your GPS unit. Supply the latitude and longitude.
  2. Use web-based, high resolution, aerial imagery program GoogleEarth (free program download). After installing it, zoom in to see your farm and then move to the planned pump location. Place the cursor over the planned location and record the latitude and longitude shown at the bottom of the page.
  3. Download high resolution reference maps with a superimposed grid. Supply the grid coordinates or mark and send in the map.
Geographic coordinates, the latitude and longitude, that you read with your GPS or GoogleEarth must be supplied with sufficient accuracy to be useful. If your GPS provides "decimal degrees", it will look like this: 32.134216N, 83.765476W or just 32.134216, -83.765476. Please record SIX digits after the decimal point for each. If your GPS provides "degrees, minutes, seconds", it will look like this: 32° 15' 32.1" and 83° 54' 09,5" or 32d 15m 32.1s and 83d 54m 09.5s. Please record all digits and symbols used.


Sample Reference Map
You can also obtain a high resolution color image map (like the one at right) to use in your original application to obtain a Letter of Concurrence (obtained at EPD Website). These application reference maps are provided as a service by NESPAL. They use map grids rather than latitude and longitude. To see these maps start here:

Application Reference Maps, by County





Do I have to notify EPD if I change my water use, drill a well as a replacement, or change a pump?

Before any change is made in the total capacity of your pump(s), or before your total annual irrigated area is increased beyond the limits of the permit, contact EPD. Many variances can be allowed, but increases beyond the permitted pumping rate or irrigated area must be approved in advance of the change.

The same applies to a replacement well. Please call EPD before replacing a permitted well. The permitted well must be plugged and abandoned by a well driller that is licensed in Georgia, and a Driller Verification of Proper Plugging and Abandonment Form must be completed by the well driller and submitted to EPD. At that time, a Letter of Concurrence To Drill a Replacement Well will be issued as permission to drill the replacement well. EPD can issue these promptly by fax for convenience. Once the new well has been drilled, the well driller must complete and sign the Agricultural Well Completion Data Form. When this form is received by EPD, a revised permit will be issued for the replacement well. NOTE: REPLACEMENT WELLS MUST BE DRILLED TO THE SAME SPECIFICATIONS AS THE PERMITTED WELL IT IS REPLACING.

Land is frequently bought and sold or transferred within families or businesses. EPD must be notified if the land contains permitted water sources. Permits are transferred with land transactions.
    What are the former land owner's responsibilities?

    You should provide the buyer with information on or copies of existing permits, including any that may now be inactive. You may not transfer the permits separately to other land owners.

    What are the new land owner's responsibilities?

    You should receive copies of the permit(s) from the seller. You must supply EPD with evidence of the purchase or transfer of the property to your name. EPD will issue a transferred permit for each permitted withdrawal source. Call EPD to determine what evidence is needed.

    How do I know if my newly purchased land has valid withdrawal permit(s)?

    In some land transactions, including disposition of estates, the new land owner may be uncertain if a well or pump on the land is permitted. As of March, 2008, almost all permitted water withdrawal locations have been documented. If you have questions about a location, or if you need to transfer the permit to your name, contact EPD. They can determine if a permit exists for the site in question.

Do I need separate permits for each well or pump?

Normally every well will require a separate permit. In the past each place a surface water pump was set up was issued a separate permit. EPD recognizes that multiple pump (sites) for the same pond, side-by-side pumps that feed a manifold distribution system, and certain other locations should be combined as a single permit. A total combined pumping capacity is issued for the multi-pump system. Additionally, surface pumps that supply irrigation systems from ponds may be combined with the well(s) that refill(s) the pond in a Well-to-Pond permit. The decision for multi-pump permits may be affected by water metering requirements.

 



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