Feds May Allow Georgia to Tap River Water

Attorneys for the state of Georgia are looking at federal jurisdiction as another means to gain access to river water in neighboring Tennessee.

The federal government owns a small strip of land between Dade County, Ga., and the Tennessee River that conceivably could be used to give Georgia access to the river water it needs for future growth.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a federal agency, allows neighboring landowners to cross federal land to reach the river, which could enable Georgia to secure access to the river by negotiating with Washington rather than Tennessee, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Thursday.

Tennessee has opposed Georgia’s claim to an area of the river based on a supposed mapping error that dates back to 1818.

We have a strong argument to the entire disputed area, but we have a stronger argument for the areas that are federal land, said Brad Carver, who has been advising Georgia legislators on possible legal tactics. The state is going to have a lot of different strategies to look at.