Thirsty City: Atlanta's Battle for Lake Lanier
The Thirsty City: Atlanta’s Battle for Lake Lanier
Abstract
This paper portrays the formation, development, and possible solution of the tri-state water crisis between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. To do so, it focuses first on the claims of each state along with a brief explanation of each states’ riparian claim to the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ATF) Basins as this is a necessary basis of understanding in order to see why stakeholders took the steps that they did and to grasp the gravity of the situation. From here, the focus moves more towards Atlanta, as the citizens there had the most at stake during this dispute. Next, a history of the dispute is outlined, beginning with the reasons for constructing the Buford dam, and continuing through last recommendations from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The historical section provides basic facts to support the decisions made by different courts and reveals the logics of how these decisions were made. In conclusion, the paper outlines current conditions and recommendations for addressing the tri-state water crisis.
The Thirsty City: Atlanta’s Battle for Lake Lanier Atlanta recently received confirmed rights to use the ACF and the ATF Basins as sources for drinking water. The multi-decade long battle between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, during which Atlanta had been using the water [quasi-legally], ended this summer in Atlanta’s favor to the general consternation of Alabamans and Floridians. At first glance, the fact that Atlanta claims rights to a lake in Georgia (40 miles North of Atlanta) would not seem to be an interstate problem. However, arguments from Alabama and Florida that the rivers flowing out of the lake continue through those states, and that the original provision of the dam and lake had nothing to do with water supply have provided confusion over who has primary rights. Like many other downstream constituencies of rivers all over the world,
Abstract
This paper portrays the formation, development, and possible solution of the tri-state water crisis between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. To do so, it focuses first on the claims of each state along with a brief explanation of each states’ riparian claim to the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ATF) Basins as this is a necessary basis of understanding in order to see why stakeholders took the steps that they did and to grasp the gravity of the situation. From here, the focus moves more towards Atlanta, as the citizens there had the most at stake during this dispute. Next, a history of the dispute is outlined, beginning with the reasons for constructing the Buford dam, and continuing through last recommendations from the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The historical section provides basic facts to support the decisions made by different courts and reveals the logics of how these decisions were made. In conclusion, the paper outlines current conditions and recommendations for addressing the tri-state water crisis.
The Thirsty City: Atlanta’s Battle for Lake Lanier Atlanta recently received confirmed rights to use the ACF and the ATF Basins as sources for drinking water. The multi-decade long battle between Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, during which Atlanta had been using the water [quasi-legally], ended this summer in Atlanta’s favor to the general consternation of Alabamans and Floridians. At first glance, the fact that Atlanta claims rights to a lake in Georgia (40 miles North of Atlanta) would not seem to be an interstate problem. However, arguments from Alabama and Florida that the rivers flowing out of the lake continue through those states, and that the original provision of the dam and lake had nothing to do with water supply have provided confusion over who has primary rights. Like many other downstream constituencies of rivers all over the world,
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