Three governors sign compacts for water

Web posted February 19, 1998

Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The governors of Alabama, Florida and Georgia signed water compacts Wednesday, leaving negotiators a tight 10-month deadline to work out an allocation plan that will satisfy all three states.

At stake are the futures of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basins, both of which have headwaters in northern Georgia and flow into one of the neighboring states.

The compacts came about after Alabama filed a 1990 lawsuit to prevent Georgia from taking too much water to satisfy needs in the growing Atlanta area. Since 1992, the states have agreed to put off the legal action while the Army Corps of Engineers has researched the river systems.

Govs. Fob James of Alabama, Zell Miller of Georgia and Lawton Chiles of Florida signed the compacts at a ceremony, then handed off most of the work to members of their environmental offices, who will try to negotiate a workable deal by Dec. 31.

``It's going to be tough, but it's doable,'' said Bob Kerr of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. ``We should know if it's possible pretty soon -- once everyone sits down and states their position.''

Without a deal, all three governors would have to agree to extend the compacts another year. If that fails, they could be forced to resort back to litigation to solve the allocation question.

The Chattahoochee River flows south to form the border between Georgia and Alabama, then joins the Flint and Appalachicola Rivers to flow through Florida, into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers also start in north Georgia, flow south to cross the border and join the Alabama River before it flows through Montgomery and Mobile and into the gulf.