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Heavy Rain Waters Down Three-State Controversy
07/10/09 - 02:24 PM
Associated Press
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click for larger image Tallahassee, Fla:

The three-decade water war between Florida and neighboring states is easing somewhat thanks to heavy spring and summer rains in the Southeast.

But don’t expect the plentiful rains to wash away the acrimonious battle over water between Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

This week the Apalachicola River has recorded some of its highest water flows in years.

The Army Corps of Engineers recorded the flow as high as 12,000 cubic feet per second on Tuesday in north Florida where the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola rivers meet. That’s about twice the water flow compared to last year.

Florida argues that water is crucial for endangered species down the river, the ecosystem in Apalachicola Bay as well as the fishing industry there.

The bay depends on sufficient water flow from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin to support its oyster beds. The bay is estimated to produce 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and more than 10 percent of the nation’s oyster supply.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection Agency says this year’s heavy rainfall is a welcome development, but it certainly won’t offer a long-term solution.

The water wars have resulted in a lot of litigation over the past 30 years - more than a half dozen lawsuits in all.

Florida filed the latest one last year against the federal government, arguing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was not fairly managing the water supply in reservoirs.

A federal judge in Jacksonville is currently considering that lawsuit. The state hopes for a ruling later this summer or fall.

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