Alabama, Georgia reach agreement in decades-long ‘Water Wars’ - WSFA

Alabama, Georgia reach agreement in decades-long ‘Water Wars’

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The governors of Alabama and Georgia announced an agreement Tuesday to end a decades-long dispute dubbed “The Water Wars,” a battle over access to water flow in the Mid and Lower Chattahoochee River Basin.

The state’s have been litigating over water in court since 1990, though this specific agreement proposal involves a 2017 lawsuit brought by Alabama that challenged the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ operations in the region, including the Corps’ policy allowing Georgia to make water-supply withdrawals near Atlanta.

Gov. Kay Ivey, R-Ala., and Gov. Brian Kemp, R-Ga., issued a joint statement saying the two states have reached an agreement with the Corps that is expected to bring an end to the suit.

Both are hailing the agreement as a “win-win”, assuring both states’ residents who live and work along the basin have access to sufficient minimum water flows during times of drought.

“This agreement is a win-win for our states, with neither side sacrificing what is important to them,” Kemp said. “The Chattahoochee River is the lifeblood of southwest Georgia, and this proposal would give citizens and businesses certainty about the flow of water they need for business and leisure alike. Just as significant, adoption of this proposal would end the current issues related to water supply for metro Atlanta at Lake Lanier, which is crucial to the future of our State.”

“I agree with Governor Kemp that this is a win-win solution for both Alabama and Georgia,” Ivey added. “Alabama and Georgia have a lot in common. But we have spent a lot of time — and a lot of money on attorney fees — fighting in court over water. This proposal is a big deal for Alabama as the Corps has never before set minimum water-flow objectives in the parts of the Chattahoochee that affect us. It would provide Alabama with long-term assurances that, in times of drought, our citizens will be protected, and our stakeholders will know how much water is coming their way.”

Under the agreement, Ivey’s office said the Corps of Engineers will begin formally considering a first-of-its-kind proposal to operate its dams and reservoirs to achieve minimum water-flow objectives at Columbus, Georgia, and Columbia, Alabama on the Chattahoochee River along the Alabama/Georgia border. The proposal also provides that the Corps would continue to maintain the necessary minimum elevation at Lake Seminole, located in southwest Georgia, approximately twenty miles southwest of Bainbridge.

The Corps’ consideration of the proposal will be subject to a public-comment period and environmental review that could last several months, Ivey’s office said. If the Corps adopts the proposal, Alabama will dismiss its appeal in this matter following a one-year review period, and the litigation will end. If the Corps does not adopt the proposal, Alabama’s lawsuit will resume.

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