Governors up ante in SEC showdown

The SEC football showdown between Florida and Alabama is coming to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta tomorrow. And the governors of Florida and Alabama have upped the ante on the outcome. The Sunshine State's Gov. Charlie Crist has agreed that if the Gators lose to the Crimson Tide on Saturday, he'll send Alabama Gov. Bob Riley a box of Florida oranges. If the Gators prevail, Riley will ship over a rack of ribs from the famous Dreamland Barbeque in Tuscaloosa. The game is being billed as a showdown between a team known for its power and one famous for its speed.

(Associated Press)

Republican governors meet in Georgia

Governor Sonny Perdue has welcomed his Republican counterparts to the state this week. The Republican Governors Association is meeting in Atlanta. The gathering also brings together some potential vice presidential candidates on the GOP side--Perdue has been mentioned in some quarters, as has Florida’s Charlie Crist, and Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty. Perdue and Crist have had their differences over water issues in Georgia and Florida, but the two were together to take in a ballgame last night. They attended the Atlanta Braves game, both throwing out ceremonial first pitches.

Perdue: Most Localities Met Water Goals

Lake Allatoona: mudflats caused by the drought are seen here encroaching on the marina, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007. (Dave Bender)

Water systems in drought-stricken northern Georgia have exceeded a state mandate to reduce the region's consumption by 10 percent, an early sign that the state's conservation efforts are working, Gov. Sonny Perdue said Tuesday.

But some providers actually increased their water use compared to this time last year. Some 31 of the region's 97 largest water providers didn't come close to meeting the goal, while another 17 were "oh so close," said Carol Couch, the state's top environmental official.

Still, Perdue said he was "amazed and surprised" that the 61 counties reduced their water use by about 13 percent - about 348 million gallons a day.

"This is enough water to supply 1.7 million Georgia households everyday," he said.

With reservoir levels at record lows, Perdue ordered public water providers and utilities with water withdrawal permits throughout north Georgia in October to cut their withdrawals by 10 percent. He warned then that systems could face fines from the state's Environmental Protection Division if they don't comply.

Data released by the state Tuesday revealed, though, that dozens of those under the order hadn't met the mandate, including electric utility Georgia Power. Six of the company's 10 power plants didn't meet the state's order, and several used more water than they did in the same period last year.

That includes Plant Hammond, north Georgia's biggest water user, which used nearly 550 million gallons of water a day in November - an increase of almost 50 million gallons of water a day over last year. The region's second-largest water user, Plant McDonough, also increased its water use by 13 million gallons a day compared with the previous year.

Georgia Power spokesman Jeff Wilson said 93 percent of the water its plants use is returned to the water body from which it was withdrawn. He said the power plants that consume the water are baseload plants that run continuously to supply the state's electrical needs.

"Generating facilities have been actively implementing measures to reuse water and reduce water where feasible," he said. "We will continue to work to identify additional conservation and reuse practices."

He also said the company is trying to more aggressively detect leaks and suspend all "nonessential water use."

Perdue wouldn't say whether the state will move to fine providers that didn't meet his order.

"We're not saying what consequences will or will not be," he said. "We think most people will do their part. We haven't focused on the consequences. We focused on how to diagnose how systems aren't successful."

The dry conditions have also given a new sense of urgency to to settle a water fight that's lasted almost 20 years over how the federal government manages water in the region.

At a meeting on Monday, the governors of Georgia, Florida and Alabama and the federal government agreed not to reduce the minimum amount of water flowing into Florida's Apalachicola Bay, and pledged to come up with a plan for doling out the region's water by March.

Click here for more on that story, and other ongoing GPB News and multimedia coverage of the drought.

(The Associated Press)

Timetable Signals Truce in the Water Wars

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, left, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, left center, U. S. Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, right center, and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, right, sit for a photo opportunity before their southeast water meeting, Monday, Dec. 17, 2007, in Tallahassee. (Associated Press)

The three leaders and the Secretary of the Interior met at the Florida governor's mansion to discuss access to water that flows from the Atlanta area south into the Gulf of Mexico.

They agreed to a come up with a water sharing plan by Feb. 15.

Governor Sonny Perdue told reporters, that the weekend weather helped start the meeting off on an optimistic note: "The thing that changed it was, the rainfall that we got over the weekend."

Alabama Governor Bob Riley said after the six-hour parley,"I don't think that I've been at a more productive meeting."

Florida Governor Charlie Crist agreed, saying, "We identified a lot of issues that are important to each and every one of our states."

The four agreed upon a revised schedule to address the short- and long-term needs of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) river basins.

“Water conservation is precious to our three states and I thank my friends for traveling to Florida to discuss this tremendously important issue,” Governor Crist said. “The people of our state have suffered due to the recent reduction of water flow. Due to recent rainfall, we see increased amounts of water entering Florida that will assist our oystermen. I’m also pleased that we agreed to remove the June 1 deadline imposed by the Army Corps and have agreed to a new date of March 15th to allow state and federal partners to develop improved drought strategies.”

Regarding the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers, the Governors agreed to send a high level staff delegation to Washington, DC in early January to discuss steps needed to move toward a new drought protocol for all three states. It was also agreed that the Governors would meet in February to conclude the tri-state water protocol that would take effect on March 15, 2008.

Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also participated in today’s meeting to provide factual information on current conditions of both the ACF River Basin and the ACT River Basin (Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa).

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the water crisis.

(With The Associated Press)

Tallahassee Talks in Water Wars (Video)

The governors of Georgia, Alabama and Florida are meeting in Tallahassee to figure out how to break the decade-long water-usage impasse between the three states, during a record-breaking drought.

Click to watch the report.


Click here for more GPB News coverage of the water crisis.

Ga, Al, Fl governors meet today in Washington

This morning, Governor Sonny Perdue will attend the first of two meetings in Washington in hopes of finding a truce in the tri-state water battle between Georgia, Alabama and Florida. First up is a face-to-face meeting and sit-down for Perdue with his counterparts west and south, along with Georgia Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. A later meeting today will be with the governors and officials from the Army Corps of Engineers and Interior Department. At issue is the water from Lake Lanier and its dwindling supply. Perdue wants to reduce the amount of water sent downstream, which helps support communities and industry in Alabama and Florida.