Under Plan, Less Will Flow Down to Florida, Alabama

By GREG BLUESTEIN

By Greg Bluestein

The Associated Press

ATLANTA

The Army Corps of Engineers rolled out a plan Friday that allows Georgia to keep more of the water in north Georgia’s Lake Lanier, a focal point in the tug of war over water involving Ala-bama and Florida.

The corps immediately reduced the flow of water from Lanier to Florida by about 5 percent after a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that federally protected mussels can live with less of the water .

Under the plan, in place through June, the corps eventually can reduce the flows from Lanier by as much as 17 percent, depending on lake levels.

“We feel like we’ve got the most flexible system to meet the needs, from the headwaters of Lake Lanier down to Apalachicola Bay,” said corps Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel.

It was good news for Georgia, which has complained that the federal government was sending millions of gallons of water downstream while Lanier – the main source of water for much of metropolitan Atlanta – was falling to record lows because of the drought gripping the region.

The decision could set off another round of legal challenges aimed at the corps, which manages regional water resources.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole, who has argued that reducing the flows downstream could endanger the state’s fishing economy, said the decision “further jeopardizes the threatened and endangered species” and “starves the overall health of the fragile ecosystem.”

The three states have been in a legal battle over water rights since the early 1990s. The fight has intensified in recent weeks amid the record drought .

The three governors are set to meet in early December to hash out a long-term deal, and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said he appointed a federal team to help the governors broker an agreement.

Earlier this month, at a three-state water meeting in Washington, the corps said it wants to temporarily cut the flow of water to Florida by 16 percent until the drought breaks, but it first needed the approval of Fish and Wildlife.

The tentative truce between the states didn’t last long. Florida last week backed away from the agreement, saying the reductions could cause a “catastrophic collapse of the oyster industry” and “displace the entire economy” in northwest Florida.

Friday’s announcement did not satisfy Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who said he was “disappointed” by the news and will “continue to focus on the needs of the people who depend on a healthy Apalachicola Bay.”

But Alabama Gov. Bob Riley said he was “very satisfied and very pleased” with the move.

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