Atlanta’s beginnings as a railroad hub give it the distinction of being the largest U.S. city without a major body of water nearby. In 1989, the Army Corps of Engineers made plans to divert water to Atlanta from more well-hydrated locales, which then touched off an ongoing legal battle between Georgia, Alabama and Florida over water rights.
Safeguard Long-term Water Supplies
By Douglas R. Hooker, ME 78, MS TSP 85
Water rarely makes headlines unless drought or a ruling in the tri-state water litigation pushes it onto the front page. Nonetheless, ensuring long-term water supplies is a top priority for state and regional leaders throughout Georgia.
To plan for long-term water supply needs, Georgia adopted a comprehensive statewide water plan in 2008. This plan divides Georgia into 11 regions, each with its own plan to address water quantity and quality challenges, include forecasts of future water supply and wastewater treatment needs, and identify practices to ensure that future needs can be met.
Even before the adoption of the statewide plan, metro Atlanta had begun planning. Created in 2001, the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District brings together 15 counties, 91 cities and 61 utilities to plan for and implement long-term strategies ensuring that residents and businesses have the water they need. The Metro Water District has become a leader in sound and effective water resources management, particularly in the area of water conservation. Its Water Supply Plan includes 19 conservation measures that local jurisdictions and water utilities must implement. The plan seeks to assure adequate water supplies for the district through 2035.
The biggest uncertainty in the state’s and metro Atlanta’s water supply relates to the tri-state litigation between Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Multiple lawsuits have been pending for more than two decades, centered mostly on the Army Corps of Engineers’ authority to operate Lake Lanier and Allatoona Lake for water supply. In June 2011, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that water supply is indeed an authorized purpose of Lake Lanier. The Court has given the Corps until September of this year to determine how much water in the reservoir can be allocated for water supply for metro Atlanta. The Supreme Court declined to hear Florida and Alabama’s appeal.
With adequate planning and good stewardship, Georgia citizens and businesses will be able to meet their water needs, both now and in the future.
Hope for Another Drought
By Peter Madsen, MS CE 80
For decades, Georgia, Alabama and Florida have been fighting over the waters of two major river systems: the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) systems. These watersheds provide water supply, environmental protection, navigation and recreation.
Recent regional droughts have demonstrated the need for water-sharing agreements and regional system optimization to ensure all the critical needs are served. Political and legal forces have not been able to achieve those agreements. Only recently has the Corps of Engineers been able to revise the operating manuals for the river systems they manage.
We came close in 2003! In the midst of a major drought, the leadership of the three states, along with federal representation, met to hammer out an ACF and ACT agreement, only to be disappointed by ultimate failure. Since then, taxpayers have paid for an endless series of legal efforts with very little to show for the extreme costs.
The watersheds need the same thing that many other multi-state watersheds across the country already have: a commission or partnership to represent the state, federal and local interests. A commission becomes an advocacy body for the needs of the watershed, which reinforces regional cooperation, public support and education. A watershed commission is not a perfect solution, but it is the right solution today.
We need one other thing—another drought. Dramatic change seems to only come when water scarcity moves this issue to the top of the political agenda. Recent droughts seem more dramatic because of our increased reliance on existing water resources. When the next drought comes, will our leaders be ready to do something different? Or will we be left to watch the same ineffective political and legal battles begin anew?
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