Solution to Georgia's Water Woes: Annex Part of Tennessee

You've know doubt read by now that Georgia has lost its dispute with Alabama and Florida about water withdrawals from Lake Sidney Lanier (see these New York Times and Environment News Service articles). A federal appellate-court panel ruled that the state can not withdraw as much water as it wanted to from the reservoir. So Atlanta must look elsewhere for more drinking water, or better conserve what they have.

The picture of Buford Dam on Lake Sidney Lanier is from the Environment News Service article, courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

It is unclear whether Georgia will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Looks like the "lovey-dovey" relationship among Alabama, Florida, and Georgia (see my earlier post) may be on hold for a while.

From the NYT story:

Though the fast-growing Atlanta area relies on the reservoir, the other states have argued that Georgia has done little water planning over the decades and has not tied growth and development to water resources.

On Wednesday, Gov. Sonny Perdue is scheduled to sign into law Georgia’s first comprehensive water management plan, which was hastily approved by both houses of the General Assembly last month in the opening days of the 2008 legislative session. Environmental groups have already criticized the plan as ineffectual in the face of a record drought, which could threaten the drinking water for four million people.

What? Not tied growth and development to water resources? Are those folks daft?

But these Easterners are proving themselves adept at water wars. Want more water? Just annex part of another state!

Here's a story by Ben Smith from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A couple of state lawmakers want to annex a piece of Tennessee to get more water for Georgia.

State Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) and state Rep. Harry Geisinger (R-Roswell) on Wednesday introduced companion resolutions to stake a claim on a one-mile stretch of disputed land that they say rightfully belongs to Georgia.

If Georgia were to take that land, the state's new border would stretch beyond the south bank of the Tennessee River, one of the largest tributaries in the Southeast.

Georgia was shortchanged of the land because of a "flawed survey conducted in 1818 and never accepted by the state of Georgia," Shafer said.

"A misplaced survey marker is just that and nothing more," he said. "A state boundary can only be changed by the legislatures of the states, with the consent of Congress. It cannot be changed by a mathematician with a faulty compass or a skittish surveying party afraid of the Indians."

Nobody need be alarmed that such resolutions might be a prelude to a second, much smaller, War Between the States.

They merely call for the creation of two panels to investigate Georgia's possible legal claims to land on the other side of the Tennessee and North Carolina borders.

See what Tennessee thinks of all this - read the article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Chattanooga is on the Tennessee River, just across the border from Georgia. One Tennessee lawmaker, House Majority Leader Gary Odom (D-Nashville) quipped "I think we need to have our militia down there."

Note added 15 February 2008: Here is an article from the 15 February 2008 edition of the Christian Science Monitor. The accompanying map is from the article.

"What's the best thing to come out of Alabama? Interstate 85. What's the second-best thing? Interstate 20. " -- Georgia joke

Comments

[tnmountains]

We the people of Tennessee will never let Georgia pry the first drop of water from our river. It is the Tennessee River not the Georgia River. We will fight and it will be like a war between the states. Everyone knows Tennessee is a proud state and not a sneaky, gluttonous, fat government - run,hmm what else,cracker. Georgia has lost its roots and identity to immigration.
They should have at least offered the General back after they stole it at the beginning of negotiations. Instead they go in our face with lawyers.
Not only that we are having a good ole boy bass tournament this weekend if the water gets down. Too much rain has made the banks overflow.
Good luck, Georgia.We do not need you and really do not care.I forget how many lives we lost trying to stop the north from burning down Atlanta in the Civil War. Maybe you guys need a fresh start again but we (the volunteers) will not be there to help this time. How do you say it in Georgia? Adios Amigo!