ALABAMA PROPOSAL WOULD RUIN LAKE LANIER
(Ron Seder 9/25/98)

The Army Corps of Engineers proposed a reallocation of Lake Lanier water in 1989, principally to satisfy the growing water supply requirements in the Metropolitan Atlanta area. An Alabama and Florida disagreement with that reallocation proposal resulted in a multimillion-dollar study of all water demands on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) and the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) river systems. The three states and the Corps of Engineers subsequently agreed to determine how to allocate the waters of these two river systems. As a result, the three states are members of a Water Allocation Formula Committee.

Georgia needs an immediate reallocation of the waters of the river systems to service the tremendous growth it has experienced and anticipates. Florida and Alabama do not feel the immediate growth necessity for reallocation, therefore, I think they are less motivated to produce a timely agreement.

Georgia presented its proposal for reallocation of the ACF waters on September 8, 1998, which was essentially a formalization of a "strawman" consideration presented to the group in June 1998. Alabama presented a proposal for the distribution of the ACF waters on September 21, 1998.

The Georgia proposal uses information from the several year multimillion-dollar studies based on current projections of demand. My judgment is that the Georgia proposal is an objective offering. The proposal recognizes needed changes to the ACF water use priorities, established in the 1940's. It eliminates the huge water releases for low volume river navigation, which is a financial loser. It reduces the huge releases of lake water for peak electric power generation because there is now a higher public good, and more compelling economic benefit, to be served. It recognizes the growing need of water supplies and increased importance of recreation.

The Georgia proposal would result in higher Lake Lanier levels in average rain years, and hold the Lake to about historic low levels in times of drought. The higher lake levels during normal years would provide greater assurance that water supplies would have survival sources of water during periods of severe drought, and during the average rain years the higher lake levels would continue fueling a growing $2 billion Lake Lanier recreation generated economy.

On the other hand, Alabama's proposal ignored the millions of dollars spent to understand current and future demands on the river system, and reverted to outdated fifty-year-old priorities. Alabama's proposal calls for significantly higher releases from reservoirs on the ACF river system without identifying the consequences for lake levels. My educated judgment is that the Alabama proposal would harshly reduce Lake Lanier levels, potentially lowering the lake to the bottom of its conservation pool at the1035' level. The full lake level is 1071', and the lake level was kept above 1050' during the worst drought in the lake's history.

By contrast, a September 1, 1998, Alabama proposal for the allocation of the ACT river system showed a different approach. Alabama has lakes dependent on that river system. Therefore, Alabama did project lake levels in the ACT proposal, and made sure that future levels of its lakes would continue their historic highs. The proposal also ignored the facts from the multiyear multimillion-dollar requirements study and essentially told Georgia that it could take all the water it wanted from the river system, as long as Georgia delivered more river water to Alabama at the Georgia/Alabama state line. Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? As is the case with the Alabama ACF proposal, this too is an irrational proposal, ignoring the world as it is today and as it is likely to be tomorrow.

My conclusion is that the Alabama ACF proposal is ridiculous and irresponsible. It looks like gamesmanship to me. Did the Alabama representatives offer the outrageous ACF proposal, hoping to get an unfair compromise, because Georgia, unlike Alabama, has the need for change now?

If Georgia were to be significantly swayed by the Alabama ACF proposal, our Georgia representatives would be literally and figuratively selling Georgia's best interests down the river, which would surrender much of Georgia's future quality of life and economic potential.

Let's hope Alabama decides to become a responsible participant in these water allocation determinations. The consequences of Alabama not doing so will be detrimental to all three states.

LAKE LANIER IN PERIL
(Lake Lanier Association, Inc. 5/1/98)

Could Lake Lanier become a dead lake? Yes!!!

Lake Lanier and people's enjoyment of it are threatened on two fronts. First, from much greater pollution of the lake's water caused by continuing development. Second, from lower lake levels that could result from decisions to be made this year about future releases/uses of Lake Lanier waters.

These are very real threats to Lake Lanier. If the Lake is not better protected we might eventually have a dead lake at much lower levels during dry periods.

Lake Lanier is still a beautiful lake, but it is endangered by the prosperity of the southeast area of the United States. The tremendous business success and rapid residential growth in North Georgia pose a great hazard to the lake. The continuing development boom produces more polluted run-off, increasing contamination by more failing septic systems and demands for much larger sewer discharges into Lake Lanier. Limno-Tech, Inc. completed a $2 million study of Lake Lanier this year. One of the results of that work was a prediction that the quality of the water in Lake Lanier will significantly degrade unless something substantially different is done to protect the lake.

Also, for many years Florida, Alabama, Georgia and the Corps of Engineers have been working to determine the future uses of Lake Lanier waters. Decisions to be made this year could produce much greater releases of lake water and cause lower lake levels during dry years. Those interests desiring large Lake Lanier releases are well represented by paid professionally competent staff, and they have a tradition of successfully exercising significant political influence. The Lake Lanier Association is trying to represent the Lake Lanier recreational interests with an all-volunteer effort. The Lake Lanier Association is overwhelmed, outgunned and needs your help. The Lake Lanier Association is overwhelmed, outgunned and needs your help.