Tri-state water feud plays out in Congress | Online Athens

The water dispute between Alabama, Florida and Georgia is provoking hardball politics in Congress, where Georgia lawmakers derailed a proposal that could restrict metro Atlanta’s water supply.

A provision initially tucked into a water projects bill would make it harder for metro Atlanta and North Georgia communities to take drinking water from two federal reservoirs. That restriction in early drafts of the 2013 Water Resources Development Act would effectively undermine a court decision affirming Atlanta can use one of those reservoirs, Lake Lanier, for its water needs, a legal victory for Georgia and a setback for Alabama and Florida.

The proposed rule seems an attempt by Alabama and Florida to pressure Georgia into more serious negotiations. The appellate court ruling prevented an immediate water crisis for Atlanta, and reduced the urgency for Georgia’s leaders and increased their bargaining power. Georgia Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, both Republicans, said they reached an agreement last week to remove the restriction, though senators from Alabama and Florida want it restored.

A floor vote in the Senate could come as early as this week. The restrictions would have applied to all U.S. reservoirs but carried significant implications in the Southeast

“We have always believed that this dispute must be solved at the state level, not in Washington,” Chambliss and Isakson said in a statement. The new version urges state leaders to negotiate.

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