Lake Lanier ruling has little impact on Augusta

A federal judge's ruling that could halt metro Atlanta's access to Lake Lanier's drinking water will have little impact on the Augusta region, which depends heavily on the Savannah River.

"We are operating under the premise that is has no effect and will have no effect," said Ron Cross, the chairman of the Savannah-Upper Ogeechee Council, a state committee studying future water needs in the 19-county east Georgia area.

In July, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson declared Atlanta's withdrawals from Lake Lanier illegal because the lake was never authorized by Congress for water supply.

Mr. Cross, who held a town hall meeting in Evans on Tuesday night to discuss water-planning objectives, said he has been assured that Thurmond Lake is not subject to the same sort of ruling.

"The judge said the Corps of Engineers did not have the authority to permit water for domestic use from Lake Lanier because when the dam was built it was for flood control and navigation, not for water use or domestic consumption," Mr. Cross said. "Clarks Hill (Thurmond Lake) was done the same way, but it was amended some years later to include domestic water use."

The dispute over Lake Lanier was fueled by a perennial fight among Georgia, Florida and Alabama over water resources flowing from Georgia into those states.

"Right now they are all trying to work out a compromise, and if we're smart we should throw South Carolina into that mix," Mr. Cross said.

The Savannah-Upper Ogeechee Council's mission is to develop a regional water plan for Banks, Burke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Glascock, Hart, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, Oglethorpe, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, Stephens, Taliaferro and Wilkes counties.

"We will be studying how much water is available -- and how much we need," Mr. Cross said. "The gap between those two figures will determine the council's course of action."

Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.