Clinton signs legislation creating Southeast water compacts

Web posted November 22, 1997

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton has signed legislation creating interstate compacts to help Georgia, Alabama and Florida resolve a longstanding legal spat over water rights in two Southeastern river systems.

Mr. Clinton signed the two bills Thursday night, clearing the way for the three states to begin serious negotiations on formulas that will specify how much water each city can draw -- formulas that must be in place by the end of 1998 to avoid restarting a lawsuit filed seven years ago.

``We have taken an important step toward achieving the interstate cooperation required to resolve this important issue,'' said Sen. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga.

In one compact, all three states must determine allocation of water from the Chattahoochee, Flint and Apalachicola rivers. The other, between Georgia and Alabama, will focus on water from the Tallapoosa, Coosa and Alabama rivers.

Under legislation approved by the three state legislatures and Congress, each state and the federal government will have representatives on the compacts. The president will appoint the federal representative and each state will have veto power over any compact decision.

The three states have squabbled over water rights since 1990, when Alabama sued, later joined by Florida, to keep Atlanta from drawing more water from the Chattahoochee River as economic growth exploded.

Alabama worried that Atlanta's plans would mean higher hydropower costs and filthier rivers downstream because less water would be available to dilute pollutants. Even farther downstream, Florida worried about the impact on Apalachicola Bay and the state's oyster industry.

A 1992 interstate agreement put the lawsuit on hold while the Army Corps of Engineers studied the region's water resources and the states worked to develop a long-term water management plan. The Corps of Engineers study is scheduled for completion early next year.

Another agreement reached last summer requires the states to negotiate water allocation formulas by the end of 1998 or the compacts will dissolve and the lawsuit will be reopened.