U.S. Water News Online
MIAMI -- The governors of Florida, Georgia and Alabama have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the sharing of water from the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint rivers.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue each signed the memorandum, which details the principles of their agreement on how to allocate water from the three-river basin over the next four decades.
``Twelve years is far too long a time for these critical water issues to go unresolved,'' Perdue said.
The Chattahoochee flows from Atlanta to Columbus, Ga., forming the Alabama-Georgia border south of that point. The Flint forms south of Atlanta, flows southwest to Lake Seminole and converges with the Chattahoochee to form the Apalachicola, which flows through the Florida Panhandle.
The basic agreement details how much water would flow south and sets an expiration date of 2040 for the plan.
``These negotiations reflect our ongoing commitment to protect the Apalachicola River and Bay,'' Bush said. ``I am hopeful we can achieve a fair and equitable water allocation for Florida that will meet the needs of our state.''
David Struhs, Florida's Department of Environmental Protection Secretary, said the state is happy with the agreement, but wants to be clear that ``there are some issues still not resolved.''
Struhs said some details, including the agreement's expiration date, flow minimums and drought plans are of particular importance to Florida. He attached his concerns to the memorandum of understanding.
``It is especially important that these non-drought flows do not become targets,'' Struhs said. ``Florida's position is that an allocation formula cannot allow more water to be taken out of the system than is currently being negotiated during the term of an agreement without mutual consent.''
The governors said they plan to have a draft agreement finished by the end of August. Then, there would be a 60-day public comment period on the proposal. If the agreement is signed after that period, the federal government will begin a 255-day comment period.
``We're protecting the future of Florida's Panhandle region,'' Bush said.
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