lotstodo
aka "The Jackal"
The Supreme Court today said that they would not review the 11th circuit ruling granting Georgia and Metro Atlanta the use of Lake Lanier water for drinking and municipal purposes. This is a huge victory in what is called the "Water Wars". A lower court had previously ruled that Atlanta had no right to use Lake Lanier for drinking water, a ruling that the 11th circuit soundly overturned.
This means that now Alabama and Florida must return to the negotiating table as they can no longer bet on "draconian" legal rulings to hold Georgia over a barrel. The latest non-ruling basically places the negotiations back where they were three years ago.
The Corps of Engineers is expected to issue an opinion to the 11th Circuit concerning its authority to accommodate water supply requests from Metro Atlanta. They will also be updating their operations plan for the Chattahoochee Basin, effectively allocating a specific amount of water for the area's use. This is the next important step in the negotiation.
This means that now Alabama and Florida must return to the negotiating table as they can no longer bet on "draconian" legal rulings to hold Georgia over a barrel. The latest non-ruling basically places the negotiations back where they were three years ago.
The Corps of Engineers is expected to issue an opinion to the 11th Circuit concerning its authority to accommodate water supply requests from Metro Atlanta. They will also be updating their operations plan for the Chattahoochee Basin, effectively allocating a specific amount of water for the area's use. This is the next important step in the negotiation.
