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Florida: Water Plan Favors Georgia
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Published: April 17, 2008
WASHINGTON - Florida would still "bear the brunt" of Georgia's lack of drought planning under the Bush administration's latest water-sharing plan for the Southeast, a Florida congressman says.
Georgia has no incentive to plan for its water needs, and Florida would be forced to sacrifice its "fair share of water," says U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, a Democrat from Monticello, 30 miles east of Tallahassee.
The new Army Corps of Engineers proposal is essentially a tweaking of an interim plan that has been in place since last fall. The proposal was initially unveiled Tuesday to some officials, and later posted on the corps' Mobile, Ala., regional office Web site.
One of its main terms would continue a temporary provision from last fall that triggers, under extremely dry conditions, reduced downstream flows along the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint water system into Florida by as much as 10 percent.
The corps' plan also allows for more storage retention in upstream lakes. During wet conditions, it allows for reservoirs such as Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta, to keep up to 50 percent of their inflow instead of the current maximum of 30 percent.
A six-week review of the corps' proposal now begins before any changes kick in, said corps spokesman Rob Holland. Still required is an updated analysis by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on effects on federally threatened or endangered species in Florida, including freshwater mussels and Gulf sturgeon in the Panhandle's Apalachicola Bay. That report is due by June 1.
Last fall, Fish and Wildlife confirmed Florida's claims that some federally protected mussels and Gulf sturgeon could be killed by the reduced flows.
The agency still approved the flow-reduction plan because it found the action would not wipe out any federally protected species. Now, it must determine if that has changed.
"We didn't expect everyone to agree with all parts of it. All we are saying now is that it's a work in progress," Holland said Wednesday.
Long-Term Solution Needed
The corps' proposal represents another temporary plan to deal with a prolonged drought in the region.
The three states have been feuding over water rights since 1990, but a relentless Southeastern drought has reignited the tensions.
Talks between the states on a longer-term water-sharing plan failed again in February.
As a result, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said his agency and the corps would come up with a plan.
Specifically, the corps' new temporary proposal would continue to allow 10 percent decreases in the downstream flows at Florida's Jim Woodruff Dam, from the current minimum flow of 5,000 cubic feet a second to 4,500 cubic feet.
The Woodruff Dam and its lock are near Chattahoochee, where the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers merge at the Florida-Georgia border.
Sarah Williams, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency is reviewing the proposal and will make comments to the corps and to Fish and Wildlife.
Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said he was glad the proposed plan recognizes the importance of allowing Lake Lanier to store water.
"I will be closely watching how U.S. Fish and Wildlife responds to this modified interim operating plan from the corps," Isakson said in a statement released by his office.
Blame For Atlanta, Georgia
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., noted that Lake Lanier is a federal reservoir, and "this water was never intended to be metro Atlanta's water supply and any decision that makes it so comes at the expense of the citizens in Alabama, Florida and downstate Georgia."
Florida's Boyd put some responsibility on Georgia, as well as federal officials.
"The state of Florida has worked hard over the past 36 years to be wise stewards of our water, and the state of Georgia must do the same by developing and strictly following a responsible plan for their continued growth and water needs," he said.
"Also, we cannot continue to give Atlanta Band-Aids if it continues to trip over the same stump," he said.
"It is expected that we will return to dry times in the coming months, and I again strongly encourage the three states to come together to reach a tri-state agreement that addresses the water needs along the entire basin," Boyd said.
Media General reporter Amy Dominello contributed to this report. Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or at bhouse@mediageneral.com.
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