Water Dispute Goes to Court

Lawyers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia argued in federal court Monday about how the water in Lake Lanier should be used, and whether it could be used to supply metro
Atlanta's thirst.

State lawyers for Georgia say the water at man made Lake Lanier can be used to supply metro Atlanta, while attorneys for Florida and Alabama say the law clearly
states the federally operated dam can only serve three functions: flood control, maintaining flow levels and generating power.

Arguments lasted about four hours at the Jacksonville, Florida court house. The judge hearing the case says the ruling will "take time."

Last year, the three states held secret meetings to try and resolve the issue before this court date, those meetings fell apart, and now Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson is calling on the states to get back to the negotiating table.

"It's time for the governor's of the three states, and the leadership in Congress, to sit at the table and honestly do what's right for Georgia, for Alabama, and for Florida. No state should trump the other."

Fla., Ala. ask court to halt Lanier withdrawals

Walter F. George Dam on the Chattahoochee River in southwest Georgia, near the borders of Alabama and Florida. (Dave Bender/file)

Florida and Alabama are asking a federal court to stop the Corps of Engineers from supplying water to Georgia from Lake Lanier, the federal reservoir outside Atlanta.

The states said they would file a motion in U.S. District Court Friday to invalidate the corps' operations on the lake. They argue that the withdrawals are illegal without congressional approval.

The reservoir is at the heart of the states' two-decade-old water wars in which Georgia maintains it needs more water to serve a rapidly growing population, while Florida and Alabama argue that the state's withdrawals harm their downstream interests.

(AP)

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

Crux of tri-state water war focus of public meetings

The crux of the tri-state water dispute between Florida, Georgia and Alabama is the topic of five public meetings scheduled for next month.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will discuss how it operates the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee Flint River basin.

Lake Lanier residents and Georgia lawmakers have long criticized the Corps for continuing to operate the lake by a manual last updated 50 years ago.

Georgia meetings will be held in LaGrange, Marietta and Gainesville.