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Task Force Tackles State’s Water Supply
A state task force formed to find new water sources met for the first time Monday. Georgia is under pressure to expand its water options. Gov. Nathan Deal created the task force in January because the state could lose access to Lake Lanier next year. That federal ruling came after Florida and Alabama argued Georgia is taking too much water from the federal reservoir. Read More Water wars panel discussion lets you ask the experts -Event at Brenau University is free to attend
Gov. Nathan Deal continues to negotiate with Alabama and Florida over the decadeslong water wars, and Gainesville and Brenau University officials are hosting a panel discussion today on recent updates. Read More Gwinnett urges action on water supply
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approved two resolutions today urging the U.S. Congress to clarify the use of Lake Lanier for public water supply and recreational purposes and to raise the lake’s full pool elevation. Read More Judges appear disinclined to let water ruling stand
A panel of judges on Wednesday appeared disinclined to let stand a ruling in the tri-state water dispute that, should it come to pass, could have catastrophic consequences for the metro region. The judges for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals indicated they wanted to send the case back and order the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Buford Dam, to make a final determination of how much water from Lake Lanier can be used to meet metro Atlanta's needs. Read More Ga. asks appeals court to overturn water ruling
A long-running dispute threatening metro Atlanta's main water supply for 3 million people went before appellate judges Wednesday who suggested they could revise or overturn a looming order that would severely restrict the city's use of water from Lake Lanier. Read More Lanier’s future as drinking source up to appeals court
The fate of Lake Lanier as the primary water source for metro Atlanta, including Gainesville, is now in the hands of the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. But at least one observer to a three-hour hearing on the matter Wednesday, Lake Lanier Association attorney Clyde Morris, said he feels "cautiously optimistic" the three-judge panel will rule in Georgia's favor, based on some of its questions and banter with attorneys. Read More Showdown over water rights Wednesday at 11th Circuit
The state of Georgia has its chance Wednesday to ask a federal appeals court in Atlanta to overturn a crushing ruling that said the metro area cannot rely on Lake Lanier to meet most of its water needs. Read More ‘Most important case’ for Georgia in decades
As far as legal arguments go, the stakes don’t get much higher: water supply for more than 3 million people in metro Atlanta. Read More Lake advocacy group keeping an eye on court case
Lake Lanier Association, formed to help protect and advocate for the North Georgia reservoir, has March 9 circled in red on its calendar. That's when the state of Georgia formally asks the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson's July 2009 ruling that water supply was not an authorized use of Lake Lanier. Read More Water supply: Georgia at last ends its action dry spell
Water supply is a big, if unexciting, issue for Georgia and especially for metro Atlanta — a region whose size is not, for now, matched by its water supply. Fixing that chronic under-abundance will take action and it’s good that Georgia seems to be moving on multiple fronts. It may well help us that Gov. Nathan Deal’s home turf includes embattled Lake Lanier, ground zero in the so-called “water wars.” That may help keep the issue top of mind, which is where it should be. Read More Reservations about reservoirs: Bentley should be cautious
Gov. Robert Bentley has been in office only a few weeks, but his stance on the frustrating tri-state water war saga is spot-on. Bentley wants Alabama, Georgia and Florida to return — quickly — to the negotiating table. That would be a wise decision. Read More 