Water Wars Go to Supremes

Georgia is once again in the crosshairs of a water-rights dispute as neighboring Alabama and Florida filed appeals with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.

The high court is being asked to overturn a ruling last June by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that set aside a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson.

Magnuson had placed a strict timeline for Georgia’s cities to dramatically cut back on withdrawals from Lake Lanier, a federal reservoir on the Chattahoochee River, which flows on to Alabama and Florida.

The appellate court ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reevaluate water withdrawals from the lake, a decision potentially favorable to metro Atlanta communities dependent on the lake for drinking water.

If left in place, Magnuson’s ruling would have required significant funding for metro Atlanta and other areas to find alternative sources of water. Some rating agencies said credit ratings could be affected.

Alabama and Florida have long argued that Congress never intended for the federally funded reservoir to provide local drinking water.

The dispute has become known as the tri-state water wars. The three states have been battling the water rights issue for several decades.

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