Alabama & Florida Win Big Battle in Water War

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Alabama & Florida Win Big Battle in Water War

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By News 5/Associated Press

M50o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Alabama & Florida Win Big Battle in Water War

Published: Tue, February 05, 2008 - 11:42 am
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 - 6:42 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal appeals court has thrown out an
agreement that Georgia reached with the Army Corps of Engineers for
water rights to Lake Lanier, handing Alabama and Florida a major
victory in the states' years-long water wars.
The agreement, which would give Georgia about a quarter of the
lake's capacity over the coming decades for drinking water, is the
foundation of Georgia's long-term plans.
“This is the most consequential legal ruling in the 18-year history of the water war, and one of the most important in the history of the State of Alabama,” said Governor Riley. “The ruling invalidates the massive water grab that Georgia tried to pull off. The ruling will have far reaching consequences. It establishes that the decades-old practice of Atlanta taking more and more water from the federal reservoirs in the Coosa and Chattahoochee Rivers without any legal authority to do so will not stand.”
Alabama and Florida have challenged the pact, arguing that the
withdrawals would dry up river flows into their states that support
smaller municipalities, power plants, commercial fisheries and
industrial users like paper mills.
“I hope this ruling will enhance the prospects for a fair and equitable deal among the three states,” said Riley. “The secret agreement that the appellate court threw out today had been a major stumbling block for the last five years in our efforts to work out a reasonable sharing deal for this precious resource.”
Georgia currently uses about 10 to 15 percent of the capacity in
Lake Lanier, a huge federal reservoir outside Atlanta initially
built for hydropower.

Reaction from U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions
“The opinion handed down today by the Court of Appeals validates Alabama’s long held position that the Corps of Engineers and the State of Georgia do not have the authority to redistribute water from a regional resource without Congressional approval. The best resolution of the water allocation dispute would be for the governors to reach a long term agreement. Today’s ruling may be a turning point, and I am hopeful that it will serve as encouragement for all sides to work in good faith during upcoming negotiations.”

Reaction from Florida Governor Charlie Crist
“I applaud the Court for recognizing the importance of maintaining Florida’s water flow. Their decision today moves us one step closer to providing essential protection for a significant amount of Florida’s natural resources, seafood industry and economy. I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Perdue and Governor Riley to resolve the long-term water conservation issues our states face.”

Reaction from U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL)
"Today’s decision ensures that Florida will be involved in any decision surrounding the flow of water in the Apalachicola River. This is a major victory for Florida and I will continue to work with Governor Crist and the Florida Congressional Delegation to protect our water rights.”

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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