More in the ongoing saga about which state can claim how much water

Alabama attorneys are claiming the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is illegally storing water for Georgia, and causing harm downstream.

From http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsi...id=439676&rfi=6:
 
That put the dispute over the Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers back in court.
"The corps has made repeated decisions to sacrifice water quality, hydropower, navigation, downstream recreation, fish and wildlife during times of low flow in order to give undue preference to upstream recreation and water supply," the complaint states.(...)
The state sued the Corps in 1990 over the use of rivers that begin in Georgia and flow to Alabama and Florida. The Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint river system is also part of the suit.
North Georgia interests (...) state they need additional water to handle population growth. Downstream interests, including the cities of Eufaula, Columbus, Ga, and Bainbridge, Ga, state if Georgia receives the amount of water it desires, downstream cities would suffer. (...) According to The Birmingham News, Alabama claims about 25 endangered species of fish, mussels and snails could suffer from "illegal management of the reservoirs." The state also claims downstream residents may pay higher electricity bills because the Corps holds water that is needed for hydropower.

Essential reading for all residents of Alabama, Georgia and Florida. It's a tough call: who owns how much of a natural resource that flows freely across state lines?
 
What do you think? Leave your comments below.

07:55 AM