1 / 6

Tri-State Water War

Tri-State Water War. The Who’s Who, and What’s What in this first-world Water dispute. WHO?. The “Tri-States”, which include: Alabama Florida Georgia US Army Corps of Engineers Southern Environmental Law Center Congress. Source: http:// www.southernenvironment.org. WHAT?.

maggie-thomas
Download Presentation

Tri-State Water War

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Tri-State Water War The Who’s Who, and What’s What in this first-world Water dispute

  2. WHO? • The “Tri-States”, which include: • Alabama • Florida • Georgia • US Army Corps of Engineers • Southern Environmental Law Center • Congress Source: http://www.southernenvironment.org

  3. WHAT? • Alabama, Florida, and Georgia have been in legal battles (A Water War) over the control/use of their shared river basins (Encyclopedia of Alabama). • The Southern Environmental Law Center identifies the states’ main concerns as follows: • Georgia -the upstream user- wants enough water to support its ongoing metropolitan development, particularly in Atlanta. • Alabama -a downstream user- worries that Georgia’s increasing metropolitan demand will reduce the water available for Alabama’s future use (power generation, fisheries, etc.). • Florida -a downstream user- wants to ensure enough freshwater outflow to the Apalachicola Bay to maintain its shellfish industry. (SELC)

  4. WHEN? 1957- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Buford Dam to provide hydroelectric power, reduce flooding during heavy rains and for easier navigation. 1988- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers suggest a changing Lake Lanier’s water use 1989- Onset of legal battles

  5. WHERE? Involved river basins - from ARC Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (Florida) Coosa Tallapoosa River Basin (Alabama) Lake Lanier (Georgia)

  6. WHY? The legal battles were initiated by a US Army Corps of Engineers recommendation to change Lake Lanier’s water use from hydropower to water supply in 1988. The states of Alabama, Florida, and then Georgia filed suit against the Corps in turn (E of A again). The states agreed to study the water systems and determine a just distribution scheme among the involved parties. Congress ratified a commission to help resolve the conflict; however, the commission was unsuccessful and the states’ lawsuits were reopened in 2003 (Atlanta Regional Commission) Georgia and the Corps agreed that Georgia had the right to more water from the lake, but in 2008 the US Court of Appeals stated that thus decision was important enough to require “congressional approval.” In 2011 the Court of Appeals again overturned a ruling that would have severely limited Atlanta’s water consumption, so the negotiations continue. (E and A)

More Related