Alpharetta Lawmaker, State Leaders Pleased With Lake Lanier Ruling

UPDATED 6:15 p.m.: A federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that overturns a decision putting metro Atlanta behind the eight ball in trying to find water sources to replace the Chattahoochee River is good news, a local lawmaker said. But the state needs to manage water use and find other sources, said Rep. Chuck Martin, R-47th.

"It certainly removes the ridiculously arbitrary July 2012 deadline imposed by Judge Magnuson; however, I believe the state and metro should continue to focus on managing use, conserving where possible, and identifying additional sources of water," Martin said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal's office released a statement saying the 11th Circuit panel ruled unanimously that Lake Lanier was built for the purpose of water supply for the metro Atlanta area, meaning the lake will continue to be available to meet Georgia’s needs.

The governor remains committed to working with Alabama and Florida towards a fair agreement regarding the sharing of water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa basins, his office stated.

"Remember the land area that drains into the Chattahoochee River Basin is very small relative to the number of people that live in the region—only with continued focus on proper resource management can the area continue to thrive," Martin said.

Martin said the decision is in the typical homeowner's best interest because it allows for proper planning and good faith negotiations, "rather than the one-sided ones that were certain to occur under Judge Magnuson's ruling.

"This ruling recognized that Lake Lanier was built, in part, to provide a water source to the region—that's good for the metro homeowner," he said.

James Drinkard, assistant city administrator for Alpharetta, said the ruling was encouraging, but just one small battle in the "water wars." Corporate consultants are aware of the waters wars, and that's seen in conversations in recruiting investments and jobs to the state, he said.

"While last year’s ruling that threatened our ability to draw water from Lake Lanier had a larger impact on communities that target the attraction of manufacturing operations, decision makers on corporate office projects were also expressing wariness about moving an operation and their employees’ families to an area that may not have sufficient water resources," Drinkard said.

"Yesterday’s ruling was encouraging and sends a positive message to location consultants and others. That being said, this is one small battle in the ongoing debate.  The question of our ability to draw from Lake Lanier will likely move to the next level, and the water war that has raged between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama that was being talked about when I started my career over 20 years ago still has no final resolution in sight," he said. "Until that dust settles this issue will continue to detract from every community’s economic development efforts and cause business leaders to question if we have the will to truly solve the critical issues that we face."

Chris Cummiskey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, also thinks the ruling is good for the state.

“The ready availability of water is an important tool in any economic development arsenal. While Georgia has been blessed for the past decade with one of the highest annual rainfalls in the country, and much of the state has an abundance of water aquifers, [Tuesday's] ruling by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is an encouraging signal to companies who might be considering locating or expanding in Georgia," Cummiskey said.

This ruling will help maintain Georgia’s competitiveness in the global economy, he said.