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Home All News Topics All Alabama, Florida, Georgia water sharing news
Florida, Alabama, Georgia water sharing
Deadlines
1947
- Congress authorizes construction of Lake Lanier in Georgia.
1990
- Georgia, Florida and Alabama begin fighting over the right to water from Lake Lanier.
2007
- Nov. 1: U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne meets in Washington with governors of Georgia, Florida and Alabama to start water sharing talks.
- Dec. 17: Meeting of the governors of Florida, Georgia and Alabama in Talllahassee, Florida to discuss water sharing.
2008
- Jan. 8: Georgia Water Policy Council deadline for sending the Legislature a proposed statewide water plan.
- Jan. 14: Georgia General Assembly convenes and issues include state's first water use plan.
- Mid-Jan: Staff from Georgia, Florida and Alabama to meet in Washington to hammer-out details of a water sharing agreement.
- Feb. 15: Governors of Alabama, Florida and Georgia scheduled to announce whether they have reached a negotiated settlement to their 17-year water war. They missed this deadline. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said he thinks the three states may be able to broker a deal by March 1
- Feb. 25: Northwest Georgia water officials to meet at the Forum with state Environmental Protection Division on water use restriction policies.
- March 1: Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne says the talks have failed. Feds will develop their own solution for the three states to share water. Text of Kempthorne's letter. Corps of Engineers begins rewriting interim agreement. The new Corps agreement for water sharing among the three states would replace the existing temporary agreement that is set to expire June 1.
- March: Corps of Engineers begins three-year project to rewrite the manual for water use in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin.
- April 15: Corps of Engineers announces new water sharing plan that allows greater storage in upstream lakes and reservoirs but may harm threatened species in Florida. download the plan
- June 1: Interim agreement on flow levels set to expire if no settlement reached before then. No agreement was reached. April interim plan is in use.
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Summer 2008: Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Region Commander Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel will convene a 16-state workshop to discuss creation of a water council to solve the southeast U.S. water sharing issues.
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September-October 2008: Corps of Engineers holds public hearings in Georgia and Alabama on rewriting the manual for water sharing. Public comment may be sent to the Corps through Oct. 20, 2008 at comments@act-wcm.com and for more information on the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River basin manual project visit www.act-wcm.com
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October 2008: Corps of Engineers to hold five public meetings on use of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee Flint River basin.
2009
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January 2009: U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear Georgia's appeal of a lower court ruling that invalidated a 2003 agreement between Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The agreement let metro Atlanta increase its water withdrawals from Lake Lanier.
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February 11, 2009: Georgia governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker appoint 300 farmers, government officials, businessmen and others to 10 regional councils to allocate water from the state's rivers, lakes and aquifers. Council members and regional water maps
- Spring-summer, 2009: Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in Jacksonville, Fla. expected to rule on water withdrawals from Lake Lanier.
- May 27-28, 2009: U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visits Georgia and Florida and says he won't force Alabama, Georgia and Florida to negotiate a settlement of their 20-year water sharing fight, but he's willing to help negotiations.
- May 28, 2009: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist sends a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar saying it is "imperative" to find a long-term solution to the Florida, Georgia, Alabama water sharing dispute. Download a pdf of Crist's letter to Salazar
Water Maps and Other Resources
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Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina Groundwater Atlas: USGS, map links embedded in text
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US Seasonal Drought Outlook: National Weather Service
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U.S. Power Squadron, Lake Lanier: Excellent series of web resources.
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Corps of Engineers drought page
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Corps of Engineers Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin manual project
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April 2008 Corps of Engineers Interim Plan for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Rivers; This is the plan that currently is in use.
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Corps of Engineers Mobile Office main web site; Check here for news updates and contact information.
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News
Water, crowds return to Lake Lanier
Business owners who rely on the lake to make a living are hoping business will be better now that the lake is near full pool for the first time in several years. It's a far cry from last year when lake levels were bouncing off December’s record lows. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages Lake Lanier, says people are back. Numbers for April show an increase of 40,000 visitors from the same month last year. But visitors declined in May by nearly 80,000 due to heavier than normal rainfall. Atlanta Journal Constitution_ 7/3/09
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist recently signed a proclamation honoring June as Florida Rivers Month, recognizing the importance of protecting the more than 50,000 miles of rivers and streams flowing throughout the state. Florida's famed waterways include the historic Suwannee River made famous by folk musician Stephen Foster, the 310-mile St. Johns River, one of only a few rivers in North America that flows north, and Northwest Florida's Apalachicola River, which helps supply 90 percent of Florida's oysters by feeding Apalachicola Bay. Ponte Vedra Leader_ 6/17/09
Georgia declares 'drought is over' and eases water rules, but urges restraint
State officials relaxed watering restrictions Wednesday, saying a rainy spring has refreshed groundwater, raised the pool in Lake Lanier and rehydrated North Georgia. In short, “The drought is over,” said Carol Couch, director of the Georgia Environmental protection division. But some restrictions remain in place, and state officials said it’s important for Georgians to keep using the conservation habits that helped significantly cut water use over the past 2 1/2 years. Some environmentalists worry the state moved too quickly in easing restrictions. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 6/10/09
Corps of Engineers says Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River water conditions back to 'normal'
WaterWebster.org Staff Report
June 1, 2009
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The Army Corps of Engineers said today adequate rainfall in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Rivers watershed means management of the region can return to 'normal' following a three-year drought. At the height of the Southeast U.S. drought zone 4 water management restrictions, the most severe possible, were in place along the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint rivers, triggering heightened arguments over water sharing between Georgia, Florida and Alabama. The Corps' Mobile District Public Affairs Officer, E. Patrick Robbins, said in the news release that “due to the lower lakes being at full summer levels we should be able to meet downstream needs with normal basin inflow for the foreseeable future. Releases from Lake Lanier will continue to be just for water quality and water supply requirements at this time.” (Full Story)
WaterWebster.org Staff Report
May 29, 2009
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Florida Gov. Charlie Crist told Interior Secretary Ken Salazar it is "imperative" that a long-term solution be found to end the water sharing conflict between Florida, Georgia and Alabama. "As you are aware, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Federal Agencies continue to be embroiled in lawsuits and controversy over the management of the reservoirs on the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint River systems," Crist wrote in a May 28 letter to Salazar. "This is a tri-state problem which requires a tri-state solution." Salazar was in Georgia and Florida this week and met with Crist and Georgia Gov. Sony Perdue, in part to discuss the water sharing conflict. (Full Story)
Download a pdf of Crist's letter to Salazar
As a former attorney general for Colorado, Salazar helped hash out a water-allocation plan between Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, which had been feuding since 1984. The combatants spent $60 million on lawyers and engineers —- efforts that “did not yield a single drop of water,” Salazar said. But the western states’ success in finding a solution makes Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue optimistic about doing the same here, Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley said. “The governor sees wide opportunity for us to make some real progress,” Brantley said. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 5/29/09
Salazar said in an interview with the Gainesville, Florida Times that his meeting Wednesday with Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue was "very constructive." Salazar meets today with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Salazar said he told Perdue that he would be willing to help facilitate an agreement between Georgia, Florida and Alabama in their dispute over who has the rights to water from rivers and lakes that span the three states. "I think he (Perdue) also made his clear statement that he believes it’s better to resolve the conflicts with Florida and Alabama through an agreement rather than spending money down the rat hole of endless litigation. I very much agree with him and told him as I will tell the other governors that we are happy to help if there is any role we can play that would be constructive in ending the 16 year dispute," Salazar said. Gainesville Times_ 5/27/09
But Salazar won't force anyone to negotiate
Salazar said it’s up to the governors of Georgia, Florida and Alabama to hash out the nearly 20-year long battle over who controls the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River. “I do not see us as coming in and hammering heads and getting the deal done,” Salazar said at a news conference with Gov. Sonny Perdue on Wednesday after a helicopter tour of Lake Lanier. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 5/27/09
Editor's Note: On March 1, 2008 former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced negotiations with Georgia, Florida and Alabama over water sharing issues failed. Text of Kempthorne's letter.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to get fly-over tour of Lake Lanier
Salazar will be joined today by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue in taking a helicopter tour of Lake Lanier and areas previously under drought. Despite above-normal rainfall in north Georgia in recent months, Lanier is still more than five-feet below full pool. Georgia Public Radio_ 5/27/09
Judge in Florida, Georgia, Alabama water wars earns kudos on the bench
Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, 72, of St. Paul, Minn., was picked in March 2007 to preside over the multidistrict litigation involving Georgia, Alabama and Florida. A panel of federal judges called Magnuson “exceptionally well-qualified” to see the case through to an expeditious resolution. It noted that Magnuson previously oversaw litigation involving water rights to the Missouri River. All told, Magnuson is overseeing eight lawsuits involving the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. Parties include the Atlanta Regional Commission, Alabama Power, the Lake Lanier Recreation Association, Gwinnett County, the city of Columbus, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and co-ops that buy hydropower from Buford Dam. In the Missouri River case, Magnuson ruled in favor of the Corps of Engineers, saying it could operate the river without changes sought by environmentalists to save endangered fish and birds. He was upheld on appeal. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 5/17/09
Federal judge says ruling in Florida, Georgia, Alabama water sharing not likely soon
A federal judge on Monday criticized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for taking decades to determine how to allocate water from Lake Lanier. Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said he now must decide the momentous question of whether metro Atlanta is entitled to rely on Lake Lanier as its primary source of drinking water. Magnuson predicted it would take some time before he issues what is certain to be a lengthy ruling. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 5/12/09
Federal judge begins hearings on Georgia, Florida, Alabama water sharing
After almost two decades, the hard-fought, tri-state water wars litigation that has engulfed Georgia, Alabama and Florida has arrived at the central battlefield. In a Jacksonville courtroom Monday, a federal judge will consider the question: Is metro Atlanta entitled to rely on Lake Lanier as its primary source of drinking water? Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, appointed to oversee a number of related water lawsuits, will preside over the much-anticipated hearing. Last year, the St. Paul, Minn., judge said the answer to the question over Lake Lanier’s water may make other disagreements in the high-stakes case “obsolete." Georgia has countered that the Water Supply Act only requires congressional approval by those unauthorized to tap into Lake Lanier. Atlanta Journal Constitution_ 5/11/09
Debt may hamper Atlanta, Georgia's ability to fix water system
Atlanta officials fear the city’s $4 billion water and sewer system overhaul could collapse because the city’s crushing debt and already low credit rating threaten the city’s ability to borrow money in ever-tightening credit markets. The city hopes Monday to issue $500 million to $700 million in new bonds for the program, with much of the money to refund old debt that must be repaid before interest rates or other factors send payments skyrocketing. The planned issuance comes as the City Council is mulling Thursday’s release of an audit of the city’s Watershed Management Department that questions the way the city has set rates and notes the department’s huge debt. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 5/2/09
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says $3 million to complete a study on managing the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint River basin is coming from federal stimulus money. The sum is part of $293 million the Mobile, Ala., district receives in federal stimulus funds; Alabama, Georgia and Florida have been embroiled in a long-running dispute over water in the basin. wjhg.com_ 4/29/09
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announces $293 million in economic recovery projects for Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi
WaterWebster.org Staff ReportApril 28, 2009
Republish this story at no cost; to learn how, click here
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tuesday released a list of 172 construction and maintenance projects in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida to be built with $293 million in economic recovery funds.The energy and water development projects are part of an overall $4.6 billion appropriation for the Corps' Civil Works national program that was signed into law Feb. 17 by Pres. Barack Obama. read full story
Complete list of Corps projects
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release more water from Georgia's Lake Lanier
The Corps on Thursday denied metro Atlanta’s request to further raise Lake Lanier by minimizing water releases for another month. Georgia officials didn't join Atlanta in asking for reduced releases. The corps’ decision was announced in a regularly scheduled conference call with Georgia, Florida and Alabama. The states have been fighting over Lanier’s water since 1990. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 4/23/09
Atlanta, Georgia drought officially over
The drought is over in metro Atlanta — three years after it began and more than a year after a dwindling Lake Lanier made national news. Lanier is still recovering and still stands more than 9 feet below full. The lake is the water source for more than 3 million metro Atlantans. Atlanta is still more than an inch below normal rainfall this year. The drought and access to water stored in Lake Lanier renewed a 19-year-old water war between Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 3/30/09
Southern governors wage water war over rights to Lake Lanier
A trio of Southern governors are fighting a water war to determine who has rights to the resources in Georgia's Lake Lanier, a man-made reservoir that provides drinking water to the nearly 4 million residents of the metro Atlanta area. Battles have been raging for the past two decades between Florida, Alabama and Georgia. At issue is who controls the water in Lake Lanier — Congress or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley declined a recent interview request on advice from legal counsel, as the dispute heads back to a federal court in Jacksonville, Fla., where a judge is expected to rule on the matter this spring. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said he's ready to negotiate with his counterparts in establishing a new agreement, but hasn't yet had much success. "I remain committed to try to negotiate with our fellow states in a shared agreement," Gov. Perdue said. "But it takes more than one to negotiate." Fox News_ 2/26/09
Georgia creates 10 water councils to divvy up state's rivers, lakes and aquifers
The governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker on Wednesday appointed 300 farmers, government officials, businessmen and others to 10 regional water councils that will decide how to divide rivers, lakes and underground aquifers. The councils will oversee long-term plans for developing new water supplies and sewage treatment facilities, and conservation. Leaders of the Georgia Water Coalition, a statewide group of environmental and civic organizations that advocates for clean water, immediately criticized the absence of environmentalists among the appointees. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 2/11/09
List of council members and map of the water planning regions.
January, 2009
Feds: Atlanta can count on water from Lake Lanier
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it has the legal authority to supply metro Atlanta’s drinking water from Lake Lanier. The Corps’ legal opinion, released late Thursday, is a good harbinger for metro Atlanta in proceedings unfolding in a federal court in Jacksonville, Fla. That’s where a federal judge is expected to rule this year on that very question: Can more than 3 million metro Atlantans continue to depend on Lanier for water, or does Congress need to decide? The 31-page answer by the Corps’ Chief Counsel, Earl H. Stockdale, is that the region can count on Lanier. Stockdale said when Congress authorized the construction of Lanier in 1947, it expected the lake “would provide an incidental water supply benefit to the Atlanta region." Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 1/23/09
U.S. Supreme Court won't hear Georgia water appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday declined to hear Georgia’s appeal of a lower court ruling in the long-running tri-state water wars. The high court denied a request to review a decision handed down nearly a year ago by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington invalidating a 2003 agreement to let metro Atlanta water utilities increase withdrawals from Lake Lanier from about 13 percent of the lake’s capacity to about 22 percent. The agreement between Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was challenged by the states of Florida and Alabama, which lie downstream of Lanier in the Chattahoochee River system. Atlanta Business Chronicle_ 1/12/09
New Georgia water plan adds six reservoirs; Plan is open for public comment
Metro Atlanta’s draft water plan for supplying the growing region through 2035 is ready for public comment. The draft includes proposals for handling water supply and sewage, and protecting the region’s six major river basins. This is the first update of a plan adopted in 2003 by the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. Among the proposals are six additional reservoirs to serve population growth forecast to be more than 50 percent, to 7.5 million people in the 15-county district. Also, more water would be drawn from lakes Lanier and Allatoona, and the Chattahoochee River. Omitted from the final draft were controversial proposals to tap into the Flint River and West Point Lake on the Chattahoochee near LaGrange, which is outside the district. Click here to download the draft plan.
To access more information about the draft plan, other long-term water and wastewater plans and scheduled public meetings, go to www.northgeorgiawater.org/html/313.htm. AJC.com_1/9/09December, 2008
Rains in December ease drought in the South, but Lake Lanier still dry spot
A soggy December has helped much of the South recover from a drought that dried up reservoirs and turned crops and lawns to straw for the past two years, according to a federal report released Thursday. A year ago, thousands of square miles across the region were in "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, the government's two worst categories. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows a wet December has helped: None of the region is in the worst category of drought. Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas are drought-free, although a pocket of severe-to-extreme drought persists in the western tip of the Carolinas and northeastern Georgia, including Lake Lanier, vital to the Atlanta area's water supply. Eastern Tennessee, most of Kentucky and parts of Virginia and West Virginia remain in at least a moderate drought. South Texas is the only area in the nation still plagued by exceptional drought. AP/USAToday_ 12/19/08
Feds opposed to Georgia request for Supreme Court review of water wars
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a brief opposing Georgia’s request for review by the U.S. Supreme Court of a key decision in the water war litigation. Earlier this year, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington declared illegal a settlement agreement between Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that would have reallocated a significant portion of Lake Lanier for Atlanta’s water supply. The appellate court ruled that such a major operational change at Lake Lanier could not be undertaken without congressional approval. That appellate decision represented a critical victory for Alabama and Florida in the 18-year old water war litigation. In August, Georgia filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the appellate court’s decision. The U.S. Justice Department late last week notified the Supreme Court that the federal government opposes any further review of the decision. WTVYnews4_ 11/20/08
Drought tightens grip on north Georgia
The epic drought gripping north Georgia is growing worse as water levels in lakes and streams across the state plumb record depths, feeding the dry conditions that spread rapidly across the northeast corner of the state. Some 12 percent of Georgia is now classified as “exceptional,” compared with just 1 percent last week. About 60 percent of the state is classified in moderate drought or worse, an improvement from three months ago when nearly the entire state was locked in those conditions. Georgia officials are particularly concerned the drought has steadily sapped Lake Lanier, Atlanta’s main water supply, and other key reservoirs scattered across north Georgia. AP/Atlanta Journal Constitution_ 11/14/08
Georgia's Lake Lanier to hold more water this winter in face of drought
In a decision announced Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said sending less water down the Chattahoochee River through metro Atlanta “was determined to have no long-term significant environmental or human impacts." But Lanier still could reach a record low level next month. On Friday, the lake was more than 18 feet below full pool, lower than it has ever been this time of year since it was built in the 1950s. Lanier — either directly or indirectly via the Chattahoochee — provides the water for about 3 million metro Atlantans. Atlanta Journal Constitution_ 11/14/08
Georgia, Florida water wars all about seafood industry: Gov. Perdue
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, attending a Republican Governors Association conference, spoke directly to reporters about the on-going 'water wars' between his state, Alabama and Florida. For years, Florida and Alabama have accused Georgia of withholding too much water from Lake Lanier, drying up river flows into their states that support power plants, industrial users like paper mills and the oyster and shrimp industries in Florida’s Apalachicola Bay. As a record drought threatened drinking water supplies last year, Georgia pressed the federal government for more, arguing that its needs are more pressing than the other states’. Florida, however, has fought Georgia and argues that the water withdrawals are also hurting the environment, including rare mussels and sturgeon. Perdue said Florida officials should just say what their argument is really all about: answering to the area’s commercial fishing industry. “Utilizing the endangered species act as a weapon in this battle is somewhat disingenuous. We know what this is about. We know it’s about the bay and the quality of the bay and the oysters and that very powerful, very loud political constituency,” Perdue said. “Let’s don’t try to make it about a federal law that really it’s not all about, about mussels or about sturgeons.” Florida Gov. Charlie Crist wouldn’t comment on Perdue’s remarks, saying he would wait to see the outcome of a federal lawsuit on the issue. AJC_11/12/08
Lake Lanier could set record low in early December
Long range forecasts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicate Lake Lanier could surpass last year's low during the first week of December. The previous record low occurred on December 26, 2007. E. Patrick Robbins, Chief, Public Affairs, said long range predictons show the drought continuing in northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and western South and North Carolina. However, he said, "climate forecasts indicate we could be returning to winter fronts bringing rain showers across the region by the end of November." Since the beginning of 2008, the only releases made from Lake Lanier have been for water supply and water quality purposes below the dam. News Release_ 11/4/08
Corps of Engineers begins public discussions of Lake Lanier
The last time the federal government tried to update its operations manual for Lake Lanier and four other reservoirs on the Chattahoochee River, it touched off a tri-state water war. Nineteen years later, with Georgia, Alabama and Florida still battling over how to divide the river, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is trying again. But officials have said the three-year, $5 million effort could be sidetracked by several variables, including pending lawsuits, lack of funding and extreme weather events, such as a worsening drought or floods. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 10/22/08
Corps of Engineers opens hearings on Florida, Georgia, Alabama water sharing
People in Apalachicola Bay, Fla., made their case Monday night for their oyster industry during a water sharing hearing conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Most of those who addressed corps' officials said all they are asking is for enough water to protect the oyster beds in the bay. The hearing was the first of a series to be held this week and next in Alabama, Florida and Georgia over water in Lake Lanier and other upstream reservoirs. AccessNorthGa.com_ 10/21/08
That budding water war between Obama and Georgia Republicans? Never mind.
The water war between Barack Obama and Georgia Republicans is hereby called off on account of new evidence. A five-paragraph Associated Press story out of Tallahassee on Friday declared that Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, had taken Florida’s side in the three-decade dispute over water with Georgia and Alabama. The relevant portion is so even-handed as to be meaningless. Nothing new here. Move along. Atlanta Journal Constitution_ 10/17/08
Georgia's senators criticize Obama on water comments
Georgia's two Republican senators are criticizing Democrat Barack Obama for saying he would make Florida's water resources "a priority" if elected president. In a letter to Obama Friday, Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson called Obama's remarks "unfortunate" and accused him of picking sides in the decades-long water wars among Georgia, Florida and Alabama. Obama released a statement on Florida's water woes Thursday, saying that weak river flows were crippling parts of the state's economy and environment. He said he would renew efforts to protect its water and would call for the states' governors to begin negotiating again on water sharing. Obama's statement focused on Florida's needs, but his campaign has since said he did not intend to suggest that he would put one state's interests over another. AP/Miami Herald_ 10/17/08
Obama politicizes Ga. Fla. Ala.water war; Makes Florida a priority for electoral votes
Democrat Barack Obama is stepping into a three-decade water war between Alabama, Georgia and Florida and he's making Florida a priority. Florida is also a state he's hoping to win, while Alabama and Georgia are expected to go to Republican John McCain. Obama released a statement Thursday saying he would make protecting the Apalachicola River and Bay a priority. He's calling for a National Research Council study to ensure enough water comes into Florida to meet environmental and commercial fishing needs. Florida believes Georgia takes too much water from the river system for municipal use. Obama is in a tight battle with McCain over Florida's 27 electoral votes - 10 percent of what's needed to win the presidency. AP_10/17/08
Despite hurricanes, Southeast U.S. drought persists
Epic drought forced officials across the Southeast about a year ago to impose severe water restrictions and warn that Atlanta, ground zero for the dry conditions, could be just months from running short of water. While the drought has eased, its tendrils still extend far and wide across the region. All it takes as reminder of the drought's grip is a look at the level of Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water supply, which is more than 17 feet below normal. Timely rain from tropical storms and hurricanes have helped. Some 64 percent of the region is now locked in drought, compared to 78 percent last year, according to federal forecasters. Only 2 percent of the area is in the worst category, compared to 24 percent last year. Georgia also benefited from new guidelines by the Army Corps of Engineers, overseer of federal water resources. It allowed Lanier to keep more of its water. The Corps released an average of 683 million gallons of water every day from Lanier in September, compared to more than 1.1 billion gallons a day the same month last year. Forecasters, meanwhile, have continued to warn residents to brace for more dry weather. AP/Columbus Ledger-Enquirer_ 10/11/08
A recent special issue of Scientific American begins “Catch 22: Water vs. Energy” by describing the battle in which Alabama has been locked for two decades with Tennessee, Florida and Georgia — over water. In response to a plan to reduce water flows from reservoirs in Georgia, the article explains, Alabama objected, worried about nuclear power plants that use enormous quantities of water to cool their big reactors. There was potential that the Farley Plant near Dothan would need to shut down. Wait a minute. Alabama’s priority for water usage is for industry’s sake? Consider the following. Our 77,000 miles of rivers and streams have been recognized as a global priority. Alabama is first in the nation for the number of species that live in our water. We also have the first and second waterways with the highest number of imperiled fish species on the continent. Americans are finally giving the energy crisis the attention it warrants. What will it take for us to make the connection between water and energy and the need to address these issues as one — for our rivers, for our security, for our climate and for our pocketbooks? Birmingham Weekly 10/9/08
Corps of Engineers to hold five public meetings on Alabama, Florida, Georgia water sharing manual
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, will hold five public scoping meetings during the month of October as part of its review and update of the Water Control Manual (WCM) for the Apalachicola- Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin. The public is invited to attend the scoping meetings which will provide information on the WCM update process and afford the opportunity to receive input from the public about
their issues and concerns regarding that process. All five public meetings will be held using an open house format, allowing time for participants to review specific information and to provide comments to the resource staff attending the meeting. The meeting dates and locations are Apalachicola, Fla.: Oct. 20, 2008; Dothan, Ala.: Oct. 21, 2008; LaGrange, Ga.: Oct. 22, 2008; Marietta, Ga: Oct. 23, 2008; Gainesville, Ga.: Oct. 29, 2008. Additional information on the ACF River Basin WCM Update process will be posted on the Mobile District webpage as it becomes available: http://www.sam.usace.army.mil News Release_ 9/19/08
Alabama meeting answers few questions about Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin
An Army Corps of Engineers meeting Wednesday night in Gadsden about the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River basin left some of those attending a little frustrated. Their concerns about things such as water flow, pool levels and taking water from that basin and giving it to another basin that serves the city of Atlanta weren’t in the scope of the meeting, which was to get input on rewriting the Corps’ water control manual for the basin. The Corps’ projects in the basin are Carters Lake and Lake Allatoona in Georgia and R.F. Henry Lake, Millers Ferry Lake and Claiborne Lake in Alabama. They are operated as multi-purpose reservoirs for flood damage reduction, navigation, environmental and water quality, municipal and industrial use, recreation and hydropower. Less than 1 percent of the basin is in Tennessee, 23.6 percent in Georgia and 75.8 percent in Alabama. Gadsden Times_ 9/18/08
Corps of Engineers holds public meetings in Georgia and Alabama on water management
The Army Corps of Engineers is rewriting its rules on managing the Alabama River and its tributaries, and it is inviting public discussion as well — all in the midst of ongoing conflicts between Georgia and Alabama over those rivers. The Corps on Monday held the first of four public meetings as part of a study and update of its management of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa river basin, which flows from northwestern Georgia down across Alabama to Mobile. Along with the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin, it has been part of a two-decade feud involving Florida, Georgia and Alabama that has spawned numerous lawsuits. A similar revision and rewriting process is set to begin in October for a new manual for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin. The meeting Monday wasin Kennesaw, Georgia, and three meetings to be held the following three days in Rome, Ga., Gadsden, Ala., and Montgomery, Ala. But the public meetings and the new water manuals, which will take at least three years to produce, will do little to alleviate tension between the three states, said Pat Robbins, a Corps spokesman. The current manual was written in the 1950s. AP/AL.com_ 9/15/08
Fay eases north Georgia drought
Remnants of Tropical Storm Fay are giving Northeast Georgia a soaking like it hasn’t seen in months, meteorologists said. As of Monday evening, Gainesville had received 2.77 inches of rain at Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport since Saturday, when measurable amounts of rain associated with the storm were first gauged in the area, according to the National Weather Service. "It’s definitely one of the more extensive rainfall events in the area in months," said Rob Handel, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City. "It’s definitely going to help alleviate some of our drought conditions." Mike Griesinger, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the rain should ease North Georgia’s "exceptional" drought, noting that Atlanta has a rainfall deficit of 8 inches and Athens 15 inches during the past year. State climatologist David Stooksbury said the rain will improve stream flows, pastures and slightly raise the levels of major reservoirs such as lakes Lanier, Hartwell and Clarks Hill, which are important sources of drinking water. "This is definitely what we need," he said. "It will not end the drought. It will make a dent." Gainesville Times_ 8/25/08
Early dam plan supports Georgia's claim to Lanier water
One of the core issues of the 18-year-old water dispute between Georgia, Florida and Alabama is whether water supply is an authorized use of Lake Lanier. Alabama and Florida contend it was not an original use and are challenging Georgia's agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on water storage based on a 1958 law passed a year after Lanier was completed. However, early documents proposing the reservoir that were obtained by The Times give credence to Georgia's position on drinking water supply. In a report sent to Capitol Hill on May 14, 1947, Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson sent the recommendations for development of the Appalachicola and Chattahoochee rivers to Columbus. The report also mentions Atlanta's need for water supply. Also included is the first reference to recreation, another purpose of Lake Lanier that has been disputed. No estimate was given then of the economic value of recreation on the lake, which is currently believed to be about $1 billion annually. Gainesville Times_ 8/16/08
Georgia plea for water goes to Supreme Court
Georgia asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to overturn a February ruling that said the state needs congressional approval to use more water from Lake Lanier to supply the fast-growing Atlanta area. Lanier, which provides most of Atlanta's water, is at the heart of a nearly two-decade water feud between Georgia, Florida and Alabama. To meet growing needs over the coming decades, Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed in 2003 to allow the state's withdrawals to jump from about 13 percent of the lake's capacity to about 22 percent. Florida and Alabama contested the agreement, arguing that the lake was initially built for hydropower and that providing water to Georgia was not an authorized use. A federal district court sided with Georgia. But in February, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington overturned that decision, saying the agreement between Georgia and the corps amounted to a major operational change at the reservoir that required congressional approval. AJC_8/14/08
The central question in the 18-year-old, tri-state water war could be answered by the end of this year: Does metro Atlanta have the legal right to depend on Lake Lanier as its primary source of drinking water? In a four-page order issued Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson said the answer may render other disagreements in the case "obsolete, or at the very least may invalidate" them. Alabama and Florida say Congress established only three purposes for the 60-year-old federal reservoir: to control floods, float barges downstream and generate power. Supplying Atlanta's drinking water was an secondary benefit, they say. Georgia strongly disagrees. Both sides said they are ready to negotiate out of court. Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ 8/12/08
Katy Wood, 17, of Acworth, Ga. is the recipient of the third annual ITT Award for Excellence in Student Water Journalism, in recognition of her exploration of the Southeastern water shortage in an article titled, "A Lack of Lakes: Georgia Water Crisis." ITT Corporation, a global leader in water technology, created this award to recognize aspiring journalists and encourage them to explore and report on water-related, environmental issues. Wood, a 2008 graduate of Wheeler High School's Center for Advanced Studies, a science magnet school in Marietta, Ga., tackled this controversial issue and discussed the overall impact of the drought on local communities in her article. A panel of industry leaders and top environmental, science and water journalists assessed the contest entries and selected Wood's article from a pool of articles submitted nationwide. The panel, including judges representing National Geographic, MSNBC, Scientific American and Water Environment & Technology, chose Wood's article, which appeared in the Wheeler High School news magazine, The Catalyst, for its timeliness and national significance. As part of the award, Wood and her journalism faculty advisor, Sarah Wheatley, will receive a trip to Stockholm, Sweden to attend and report from the 2008 Stockholm Water Symposium, which takes place during World Water Week from August 17 through August 23. Wood will also receive a $1,000 scholarship from ITT, which she will use to attend Duke University starting this fall. News Release_ 7/30/08
Former Pres. Jimmy Carter returns to an old fight, opposing three dams on Georgia's Flint River
It was groundbreaking in the 1970s when a loose environmental coalition — with the help of Carter — managed to stave off the plan to build dams along the Flint River. Now the proposal has resurfaced amid the historic drought, with a familiar cast of characters lining up behind it: Powerful Georgia congressmen, backed by real estate agents and business groups, say the dams could help guarantee water for Georgia for decades to come. As before, environmental groups in southwest Georgia are banding together to try to stop it. Again, Carter, now 83, is their most influential supporter, allied anew with the groups he lovingly calls "weirdo environmentalists." The dams would be built along the Flint, which winds more than 200 miles from the south Atlanta suburbs into the Gulf of Mexico. The river already has two small dams, but Reps. Nathan Deal and Lynn Westmoreland are encouraging the Army Corps of Engineers to complete a study of whether the bigger dams can be built. Carter and his supporters are bracing for a bruising fight that could last years. AP_ 7/27/08
Georgia proposes three states pay for water sharing study
Georgia's top environmental official said Thursday the three states that have battled nearly three decades over water shouldn't wait for Congress to approve an independent study on the issue, but should instead pay for it themselves. Florida Sens. Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez and Rep. Allen Boyd want the National Academy of Sciences to study the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. But with a severe drought increasing tensions over the water Georgia, Florida and Alabama share, Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch said the states could save time by commissioning the study themselves and splitting the cost. She estimated the cost at about $1 million and it could take 2 1/2 years. She said the three states should agree on the study's objectives. Nelson's office and Boyd welcomed the idea. Martinez' office wouldn't immediately comment. AP/Forbes_ 7/25/08
Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle hosts radio discussion of Georgia, Alabama, Florida water issues
Cagle Friday looked back on the 20-plus years of the tri-state water wars and declared that its time for them to end... and everyone involved needs to understand the needs of all three states. "No one's willing to step up and really take the bull by the horns and do what's necessary and agree upon those minimum level of flows that Alabama needs along with Florida." Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson was among leaders from around Georgia and the Lake Lanier area appeared with Cagle during the nearly four-hour broadcast. Richardson said he is not optimistic that Georgia, Florida and Alabama will be able to settle their water wars among themselves. Richardson said, however, the conservation steps Georgia is taking could have a positive impact with the courts. AccessNorthGeorgia_ 7/11/08
Corps of Engineers officials take three-day river trip to see Florida-Georgia border area
Corps Gen. Joseph Schroedel and Col. Byron Jorns were taken all over the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system basin by several Jackson County, Florida residents. They started with a boat ride Monday in the Apalachicola River and Bay, and the event culminated in a discussion session Wednesday near the Flint River in Bainbridge, Ga. The trip was co-sponsored by the Apalachicola Riverkeeper and Tri-Rivers Waterway Development Association. They are two key stakeholders in the ACF river system, which courses through Florida, Alabama and Georgia.Greenwood resident Chad Taylor said one of the most vital issues is water allocation practices on the Apalachicola River and how the Corp manages Lake Seminole and the other four reservoirs on the Chattahoochee River. Red Orbit_ 7/10/08
Southeast U.S. still faces drought despite spring rain
Despite some significant spring rain events, the Southeast is still experiencing what some have called the worst drought on record and it is expected to continue through the summer. The National Drought Mitigation Center has classified sizeable areas of Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas as being in an extreme drought and long-term rainfall deficits remain, ranging from 5-15 inches over the past six months to 12-20 inches over the past 12 months. Montgomery Advertiser_ 7/10/08
Alabama working on laws and enforcement powers for water use
Alabama's 77,000 miles of streams carry 8 percent of the nation's freshwater toward the Gulf of Mexico. Even as reservoirs shrank and utilities rationed water during the peak of a record drought last year, Alabama still had more rain and water resources than many other states. "We don't have a water supply problem. We have a water management problem," said state climatologist John Christy. A legislative committee is just beginning work on a water management plan and hopes to take initial recommendations to the Legislature early next year. Without a state water policy backed up by laws and the political will to enforce them, the state has been weak in its ability to challenge groups from outside - and from within - vying to use Alabama's waters. But getting a plan everyone can agree to likely won't be easy, with about 450 independent water systems, thousands of industries, and many more people who use the water for recreation wanting to have their say. Birmingham News_ 7/7/08
