What Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center does

The Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center (GWPPC) is a non-profit, university-affiliated research center headquartered at Albany State University in Albany, Georgia, founded in 1999 with support from the Georgia General Assembly and the Georgia Research Alliance. The Center conducts applied research, stakeholder engagement, and policy analysis on Georgia's water resources, serving state and federal government agencies, regional water planning councils, agricultural water users, and the broader public. Its work spans drought response, agricultural water use forecasting, irrigation mapping and conservation, aquifer sustainability, freshwater mussel habitat, and regional water planning across all ten of Georgia's regional water council areas.

The Center operates a portfolio of program offerings rather than a single product. Notable deliverables include the ACF Drought and River Basin Dashboard (developed with NOAA and hosted on drought.gov), the Georgia Flow Incentive Trust (GA-FIT) drought-response incentive program, the FACETS collaborative modeling project for the Upper Floridan Aquifer, agricultural water use forecasts, GIS-based irrigation mapping, and the triennial ACF Waters Conference. Underlying capabilities combine GIS, remote sensing, on-farm field data collection, biophysical and economic modeling, and stakeholder facilitation. Revenue mechanics are grant-driven: federal (American Rescue Plan Act, USDA, NOAA, USFWS) and state (Georgia General Assembly, Georgia EPD, Georgia DNR, Georgia Research Alliance) funding underwrite most operations, supplemented by conference registration fees ($50–$225) and sponsorships ($350–$1,500). The Center's most material recent event is a $49.8 million ARPA infrastructure grant awarded in February 2022 to convert surface water irrigation to deep groundwater sources in the Lower Flint River Basin, installing approximately 242 deep aquifer wells across 27 counties.

Name

Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center

Legal name

Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center

Website

https://h2opolicycenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center is a non-profit research center at Albany State University that conducts applied research, stakeholder engagement, and policy analysis on Georgia's water resources for state and federal agencies, regional water planning councils, and agricultural water users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Resources Research and Policy Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Quality & Watershed/Hydrologic Modeling (SWMM/HEC-RAS, Flood/Runoff/Nutrient) (EUAHAKAF), Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK), Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC)

Keywords

• Water resources research
• Agricultural water use
• Regional water planning
• Drought response services
• Stakeholder facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: The Center receives funding through government grants including a $49.8 million infrastructure grant award through the American Rescue Plan Act for water infrastructure projects. Funding sources include Georgia General Assembly, Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, USDA, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
2. Conference Operations: The Center organizes the triennial ACF Waters Conference with registration fees and sponsorships. Early registration $200, standard $225, student registration $50.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center conducts applied research, data collection, outreach, and education on Georgia's water resources for citizens, policy makers, and government officials. It delivers drought dashboards, agricultural water-use forecasts, regional water planning support, and stakeholder facilitation services through projects embedded at Albany State University.

Product overview

The Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center (GWPPC) is a research center at Albany State University that conducts water resources research, outreach, and education. The Center does not offer a unified software product but rather provides a portfolio of projects and initiatives including: the ACF Drought and River Basin Dashboard (developed with NOAA), the Georgia Flow Incentive Trust (GA-FIT) for drought response and habitat conservation, FACETS for Floridan Aquifer sustainability, Regional Water Councils support for 10 Georgia regions, Agricultural Water Use Forecasts, Mapping of Irrigated Acres, CBEAR partnership for agricultural water use research, Regional Water Plan Implementation Seed Grants, the annual ACF Waters Conference, Flint RiverQuarium Partnership, and Oconee River Basin planning tools. The Center combines research, education, and outreach to advance understanding and management of Georgia's water resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Georgia Flow Incentive Trust (GA-FIT): A program designing new tools to improve drought response to protect Georgia's streams while protecting the economic well-being of Georgia farmers through incentives for voluntary irrigation suspension
• ACF Drought and River Basin Dashboard
• ACF Waters Conference

Products and services

• ACF Drought and River Basin Dashboard A free web-based information portal providing drought-related information for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, developed by NOAA with Center stakeholder facilitation.
• ACF Waters Conference Triennial conference held in Albany, Georgia bringing together researchers, managers, water users, and stakeholders across the ACF River Basin for knowledge exchange on water management.
• Regional Water Councils Support Stakeholder facilitation, technical assistance, and planning support for ten of Georgia's regional water planning councils.
• Agricultural Water Use Forecasts Forecasts that incorporate predictions of crops and acreages expected to be irrigated, with future water needs calculated for a range of weather conditions and allocated to water sources in each region.
• Mapping and Conservation Inventory on Irrigated Acres On-farm visits to map irrigated acres and inventory irrigation conservation technology, supplemented with remote sensing image analysis in the Flint River Basin.
• Floridan Aquifer Collaborative Engagement for Sustainability (FACETS) A project bringing scientists and stakeholders together in a participatory process to identify paths for economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture and silviculture while protecting the Upper Floridan Aquifer.
• Georgia Flow Incentive Trust (GA-FIT) Program designing tools to improve drought response to protect Georgia's streams while protecting the economic well-being of Georgia farmers through incentives for voluntary irrigation suspension.
• Waters of the Oconee River Basin Project Project focused on how people use and benefit from Oconee River Basin water resources and how those uses vary with streamflow or lake levels, producing interactive maps and metrics for regional water planning.
• Regional Water Plan Implementation Seed Grants Seed grant projects supporting implementation of regional water plans, including studies of water supply alternatives and compilation of flow-dependent benefits and values.

Quantifiable outcome

• $49.8 million infrastructure grant awarded to improve water security in 27-county region
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Georgia Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Partnership on $49.8 million infrastructure grant for conversion of surface water irrigation to deep groundwater sources in Southwest Georgia. The project includes installing deep aquifer wells, conservation planning, environmental monitoring, and endangered species management planning.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter facilitated stakeholder input into the design of the ACF Drought and River Basin Dashboard, now part of Drought.gov. Hosted listening sessions and workshops with stakeholders to inform development by NOAA.
• Flint RiverQuariumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of Agreement between Flint RiverQuarium and Albany State University for water-related research and educational programs, including water quality monitoring, microbial community assessment, biomarker tracking, and community gardens.
• Center for Behavioral & Experimental Agri-Environmental Research (CBEAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with behavioral scientists at University of Delaware, University of Colorado, and Johns Hopkins University to evaluate incentives for Best Management Practices, agricultural water use reporting (AgDRIP), and feral hog control (HogVISE).
• Georgia Flow Incentive Trust (GA-FIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGA-FIT is designing new tools to improve drought response to protect Georgia's streams while protecting farmer economic well-being, with focus on incentives for voluntary irrigation suspension.
• Floridan Aquifer Collaborative Engagement (FACETS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject brings scientists and stakeholders together in participatory process to identify paths for economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture and silviculture while protecting water quantity, quality, and habitat in the Upper Floridan Aquifer. Funded by USDA NIFA.
• Albany State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGWPPC is headquartered at Albany State University. The university provides the institutional framework and academic environment for the Center's water policy work.
• Jones Center at IchauwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on freshwater mussel research and conservation, Habitat Conservation Plan development, and aquatic ecology studies in the Flint River Basin.
• University of Georgia River Basin CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research on ecological indicators for water planning, Oconee River Basin studies, and collaborative watershed science. Laura Rack holds joint appointment.
• Golden Triangle Resource Conservation and Development CouncilminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPlays important role in project implementation for the $49.8 million infrastructure grant for Lower Flint River Basin.
• ACF StakeholderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on Sustainable Water Management Plan for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin. GWPPC Director Mark Masters is founder and Executive Manager.
• Georgia General AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for Center's formation in 1999, recognizing increasing importance of water to Georgia's economy and quality of life.
• Georgia Research AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for Center's formation in 1999, supporting research and design of policies affecting water resources.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for mapping and conservation inventory projects, and stakeholder-driven water resource and endangered species management planning.
• Georgia Environmental Protection DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funding partner for agricultural water use forecasts, mapping projects, and regional water planning support.
• Georgia AquariumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrowing partnership advancing critical work in the Flint River Basin from freshwater mussel conservation to collaborative watershed science and public engagement.
• ACF Waters Conference SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiple sponsors including Georgia Power, The Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, Pew Charitable Trusts, University of Georgia, and others supporting the triennial conference.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• River Network: National nonprofit focused on building a stronger, more inclusive water movement through state-based capacity building and water policy advocacy. Comparable nonprofit water-policy research and stakeholder-facilitation model, but at national scale.
• ACF Stakeholders, Inc. Founded and led by GWPPC Executive Director Mark Masters, ACF Stakeholders developed the Sustainable Water Management Plan for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin. Operates in the same ACF water policy space with overlapping stakeholder network.
• National Water Supply Alliance: National water-supply policy and advocacy organization; GWPPC's Strategic Water Policy Leader Katherine Zitsch serves as its President. Comparable mission around resilient water supply policy and stakeholder convening, with a broader national footprint.
• UGA River Basin Center: University of Georgia's water research center; has a formal joint-appointment with GWPPC (Laura Rack holds joint roles) and collaborates on ecological indicators, Oconee River Basin studies, and watershed science — directly comparable academic water-policy research mission.

Broad incumbents

• Water Foundation: Philanthropic foundation advancing sustainable water management through grantmaking and field-building. Comparable focus on integrated water resource management but operates as a funder rather than direct research provider.
• Environmental Law Institute: Independent environmental-policy research and education organization. Comparable applied environmental research, policy analysis, and stakeholder convening model at national scale, with stronger legal/policy orientation.
• Water Research Foundation: The largest US water-research foundation, funding collaborative research for water utilities. Comparable applied water research and stakeholder-funded model, but operates at much larger scale and focuses on utility members rather than state policy.

Regional players

• Southern Environmental Law Center: Regional environmental policy and litigation organization covering the Southeast, including active work on ACF basin water issues. Comparable regional environmental-policy focus but uses legal advocacy rather than applied research and facilitation.
• Georgia Conservancy: Statewide Georgia environmental nonprofit with comparable water-resource advocacy mission and overlapping state-level stakeholder network, though broader in scope (land conservation, growth management) and advocacy-led rather than research-led.

Emerging players

• Conservation Fund: National nonprofit working at the intersection of conservation and economic development, with active freshwater/watershed programs. Comparable nonprofit, multi-stakeholder conservation model, though broader in scope and primarily focused on land conservation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/georgia-water-planning-policy-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center