FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 1, 2007

Isakson, Chambliss Ask Corps to Honor Its Pledge to Update Water Control Plan for River Basins Serving Georgia, Alabama, Florida

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., on Friday sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, strongly urging him to honor his pledge to update the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ outdated water control plan for the two river basins that serve Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

On August 1, 2007, Isakson and Chambliss met with Geren as well as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Paul Woodley, Lieutenant General Robert L. Van Antwerp and General Counsel Craig Schmauder.  At the meeting, Geren indicated his desire to give mediation time to work before starting the update of the water control manuals for the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basins. However, Geren gave his committment to the senators that when mediation had broken down and was not making progress, he would begin the update of the water control manuals, which his predecessor committed to begin on January 2, 2007.

Isakson and Chambliss attached a September 13, 2007, letter from Judge Charles B. Renfrew to Judge Karen Bowdre. In this letter, Judge Renfrew states “we are at an impasse in the mediation between Alabama and Georgia,” and “there is not any prospect of reaching a resolution at the present time or for the foreseeable future.”  Judge Renfrew closes his letter by saying “I do not see any purpose served in extending the period of mediation.”

“In recent years, Alabama has challenged every Georgia water permit in federal court and has refused to negotiate in good faith to resolve problems in these basins,” Isakson said. “These actions have hurt lake levels across our state. It is imperative that we update the water control plan to reflect 21st century demand and usage, and I will continue to work to bring about a resolution between the states and will work to see that the threat to our Georgia lakes is stopped.”

“For the past few years, we have been asking the Corps to do something they are legally obligated to do, something the State of Alabama originally sued the Corps over in 1990, and something that is necessary for responsible operation of these basins: update the water control manuals,” said Chambliss.  “There is no legal or other impediment to moving forward with this process. We patiently gave the mediation process a chance, but now that it is clear we cannot come to an agreement through mediation, it is time for the Corps to take the next step and start updating those manuals for the ACT and ACF River Basins.”

Alabama sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1990 to block the corps from giving metro Atlanta any more water out of Lake Lanier. Since then, Alabama, Florida and Georgia have made a number of attempts to negotiate a long-term agreement on how to share water.

Last week, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources issued a drought declaration prohibiting most types of outdoor residential water use in the northern third of the state while the remaining Georgia counties remain subject to outdoor watering limits. Many local jurisdictions in Georgia have also put in place watering restrictions that are more stringent than those mandated by the state. The state of Alabama has not mandated any watering restrictions despite the record drought.

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