WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican Rep. John Linder sees water sources disappearing across the parched South. He looks to the West and sees battles over water rights.

Linder's answer is the House Water Caucus. The 30-member caucus, which includes the entire Georgia House delegation, hopes to build alliances that cut across geography and political party to address what Linder said is a "devastating condition."

RICK MCKAY/Cox Washington Bureau/STF (ENLARGE)

Rep. John Linder, R-Ga., speaks in favor of his bill, H.R.135, the 'Twenty-First Century Water Commission Act of 2007.'

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The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by 2016, more than half of the nation's pipes will be in "very poor" condition if not completely unusable, Linder said.

Linder and caucus co-chairmen, Reps. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., and George Radanovich, R-Calif., used Earth Day to press colleagues to pass legislation that would identify ways to ensure an adequate water supply for the next 50 years.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked with Linder recently about the role of the caucus,

Q: Congress has a lot of different caucuses. Why is the House Water Caucus needed?

A: We need to focus on water as a nation. It's been a problem for some time. We need to focus on water because we can live without anything in the world except water. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes wanted to build 40 reservoirs to store and preserve water. Not one has been built in Georgia. Part of the reason is unduly restrictive federal regulations.

Q: What will the water caucus do?

A: The caucus will work to pass HR 135—legislation (sponsored by Linder) that would create a national Water Commission. The commission would identify incentives to ensure an adequate and dependable domestic water supply for the next 50 years without placing mandates on state and local governments.

The idea is to bring all these different ideas from across the country to one table. Water is still a local issue, but the goal would be to share the best practices with every jurisdiction.

For example, we need to find ways to store rainwater better. California loses nearly 50 percent of its rainwater straight into the ocean. We need to fix our infrastructure to handle that.

Q: The House has overwhelmingly supported this measure for the past two legislative sessions. Why hasn't it become law?

A: Nothing ever happens in the Senate. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., is a big supporter of this. He and I talked 3-4 weeks ago. I've urged him to get it moving and I think he will.

Q: What can the House Water Caucus do to alleviate drought conditions in Georgia and throughout the Southern states?

A: We can't make it rain more. We hope we can show a little attention to the water crisis affecting the country, There are a lot of water organizations in the country, including people who sell bottle waters, state associations. What we need to do is get a statute on the books that they can rally around.