Are you a part of the News/Talk 750 WSB VIP? Sign in or join now. Why join?
Text size: A A A

(WSB Radio/AP) -- Florida lawmakers on Thursday accused Georgia officials of negligence in managing water consumption, urging the federal government to prevent further damage downstream in Florida's Apalachicola Bay.

At a meeting on Capitol Hill, the lawmakers said a recently unveiled federal plan governing the region's river basin gives Georgia a free pass for its conservation failures. They called on the Army Corps of Engineers to rescind the plan and said because Georgia's water consumption affects other states, the federal government should force Georgia to better plan for growth.

``Atlanta is issuing development permits without regard to where they're going to get the water,'' said Rep. Allen Boyd, a Democrat who represents the Apalachicola Bay area in the Florida panhandle. ``This water is a regional issue, and what we're saying is by golly if the states can't get it right, the federal government should step in.''

A spokesman for Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Corps Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel, who has played a lead role in the most recent tri-state water wars among Florida, Georgia and Alabama, said the agency does not have authority over state water planning.

He acknowledged that water planning in the South ``is all over the map,'' but he would not characterize one state as better than another. He said there simply is not enough water to meet competing demands during drought.

Schroedel said he is pushing governors from across the South to form a regional commission to negotiate water issues and develop priorities that merit federal attention.

Florida, Georgia and Alabama have been in a legal and political battle over water rights since the early 1990s, but the fight has intensified in the past year as drought has gripped the southeast.

With prodding from President Bush, the governors of the three states began fresh negotiations last year to work out a settlement. But the talks ultimately failed, and the states have grown increasingly critical of one another.

In April, the corps, which manages federal reservoirs, announced an interim operating plan that would hold more water back in Georgia lakes and reduce flows into Florida and Alabama.

Florida officials have said the plan could irreversibly damage the seafood industry in the Apalachicola Bay and wreck the region's economy.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Avg. rating: N/A

What others are saying

  • Water Wars
    Funny how all the other georgia lakes are near full pool, except Lanier. Lanier is still down 13 feet - only because we keep letting it go down stream.
  • Water Wars
    When Alabama and Florida issue level 4 watering bans then we can listen to their concerns.
  • Water Wars
    This issue isn't about controlling growth. It's about Alabama and Florida grabbing all they can, while they can, before they can't grab any at all. If Appalachicola Bay is such an important environmental habitat, why does the State of Florida dump millions of gallons of treated waste water into it every day? Before dams were built on the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers, droughts occurred and river levels fell. When the same conditions are "simulated" now by cutting back on the water released from dams, why is Florida so upset? It's just an excuse to grab water for their own development. I don't see Florida curtailing growth anywhere.
  • Water issues
    I beieve each state I.e., GA, FL, AL, should handle their own water issues, not get the Federal government involved. I would agree that development is totally out of control in Georgia. Building permits for more stip malls, track housing etc. continued to be issued without regards to water, traffic, schools, etc. We need a governor and state senate to stop the "out of control growth", once and for all and development a plan and infastructure that will address control growth.
send to a friend  view as printer-friendly  RSS feeds
advertisement

WSB 24-Hour Weather Center
Get our 5-day Forecast .

Atlanta weather

A Few Clouds
54°F
5-day forecast
advertisement

Marketplace

Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network
Your online connection to Larry Munson and the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network team!
RCOG - Prostate Cancer and Treatments
Get information about Prostate Cancer and its Treatments. View the online seminar.
"How to be Clark Smart in a Recession" Online Seminar sponsored by Associated Credit Union. Details
Experiencing persistent coughing, sneezing, congestion, headache, and sleepiness. It may be Sinusitis. View the Sinusitis Online Seminar Now. Find out more
Encore Azalea Online Seminar
“Planting Trees, Shrubs & Perennials: Right Plants in the Right Place” a Walter Reeves webinar. Watch Now
advertisement
Prostate Proactivity
Get a free prostate exam in January. Find out how .
Going Green
Help do your part to save water, reduce air pollution & greenhouse emissions. Go Green! Sponsored by Arrow Exterminators.
Read the AJC and stay on top of everything in Atlanta! Get delivery for less than $2 a week!
Join Channel 2 Action News anchors John Pruitt and Monica Pearson at 5, 6, and 11pm.