Feb. 12, 2007
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Corps of Engineers to update water manuals By Scott Wright WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will update the manuals it uses to guide how Georgia and Alabama share water in a major river basin, agreeing to a long-sought demand from Georgia officials who say new data is necessary to account for their state's rapid growth. While Georgians cheered the development, it angered Alabama officials who have fought to block the move, saying it could hurt the state's water supply. Both states have intensely lobbied Corps and Army officials in recent months as drought has gripped the region. "It's been 17 years since they've been updated," said Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican. "It's old information. What's changed in the last 17 years is unbelievable." Isakson and other Georgia lawmakers cautioned that the decision is one of many the Corps must take to resolve the crisis. For one thing, the update could take three years, according to Assistant Army Secretary John Paul Woodley. And the decision applies only to one of the state's main river basins — the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa, which runs into northeast Alabama. "Georgia still faces a dire situation with regard to our short-term water supply," Sen. Saxby Chambliss said. The manuals — which provide the core data on which sharing agreements are based — are a central front in a multi-pronged court battle that has raged in the region for almost two decades. Tensions have heightened as Georgia and Alabama have been hit with record dry spells this year. Georgia has sought to hold back more water to boost the
state's tight drinking supply. Alabama has fought them, arguing their plans
would threaten Alabama's water security, damage the environment and stunt
growth. Alabama officials fear updating the manuals would unfairly benefit
Georgia, maintaining that the Corps has been focused on Atlanta's needs at
the expense of communities downstream. |