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Water Wars Summit Ends

By Governor Bob Riley's Office

Governor Bob Riley and the Governor's of Florida and Georgia agree on a February 15th deadline to have all issues in their water war resolved. Water Wars Summit Ends

Published: Thu, November 01, 2007 - 6:09 pm Last Updated: Thu, November 01, 2007 - 6:15 pm

MONTGOMERY – During their meeting in Washington on Thursday, the governors of Alabama, Florida and Georgia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to simultaneously consider water flow issues in both river basins at the heart of a dispute between the three states: the Alabama – Coosa – Tallapoosa basin and the Apalachicola – Chattahoochee – Flint basin.

The Corps of Engineers also agreed to make modifications in its operating plans and hopes to give all states flexibility in the management of their reservoirs, and the three governors agreed to set a Feb. 15 deadline to have all issues in their water dispute resolved.

During the meeting, the Corps of Engineers agreed with Alabama’s assertion that the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority is exceeding its allowable water withdrawals by 100 percent. The Corps said it was giving the Atlanta-area water authority 10 days to explain how it will come into compliance.

Those excessive water withdrawals have taken place at the same time the Corps has reduced the flow of water into Alabama.

In addition, there was also an agreement between the parties to protect the flows into the Chattahoochee River at levels that enable the Farley nuclear plant in Southeast Alabama and Alabama industries along the river to remain in operation.

“I’m very pleased that the Corps saw the validity of our arguments and agreed with them,” Governor Riley said after returning from Washington, where he, U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, the chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the three governors spent the day in meetings discussing water sharing disputes between their three states. Leaders of the Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also attended the meeting held at the Department of Interior.