The Savannah River at Risk Initiatives Campaign, organized by Augusta-based Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy, made some serious headway last week. It got the governors of Georgia and South Carolina to agree to work on ways for the two states to cooperate in managing and sharing the great water resource and to protect it from encroachment by thirsty, water-shortage communities like Atlanta.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, at a sciences academy forum in Columbia County attended by an estimated 250 people, set the tone by saying the Savannah River should be more like a bridge that links the two states than a boundary that separates them.

Michael McShane, South Carolina's Natural Resources Board chairman standing in for Gov. Mark Sanford, said his state looks forward to collaborating with Georgia to get optimum use of the river without damaging it. Cooperation is most necessary when water supplies are strained by drought or growth.

In this regard Georgia has the largest responsibility. Industries and communities on this side of the river already consume 90 percent of the river's capacity to assimilate wastewater. As Perdue points out, "We may be approaching a time when future discharges are severely limited - or not allowed at all."

The governor then announced the formation of bilateral panels in both states to foster communications about river issues such as saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, preserving recreation economies in the upstate and sharing water supplies everywhere.

The forum also included comments from a host of people from both states including environmentalists, regulators, the Army Corps of Engineers, economic developers, utility spokespersons and other stakeholders.

But what was most impressive about the forum is that it marked a giant step forward by the Sciences Academy's Savannah River at Risk Initiatives, the mission of which is to raise $1.8 million from community and local municipalities to broaden awareness of the river and the impact it has on the region's economy and ecology.

The analogy may be imperfect, but the Savannah River is something like Fort Gordon. We tend to take it for granted until something comes along to jeopardize it. Then we realize anew its importance and rally and organize to save it.

We saved Fort Gordon. Now it's time to save the Savannah River - and we're pleased that the governors in our two-state area are leading the charge.