After years, Alabama’s “Water War” with Georgia may end

(WTVY) – The Army Corps of Engineers would maintain minimum water levels along the Chattahoochee River in an agreement that could end the long-running “Water Wars” dispute between Alabama and Georgia.

Part of that regulation would occur at the George Andrews Lock and Dam in Columbia.

The pact announced Tuesday also calls for the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain minimum water elevation at Lake Seminole near Donalsonville, Georgia.

Governors Brian Kemp of Georgia and Kay Ivey of Alabama issued joint statements endorsing the proposed resolution.

“We have spent a lot of time — and a lot of money on attorney fees — fighting in court over water,” Ivey said in a statement.

For 33 years, Georgia has sparred with Alabama and Florida over water rights along the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin, stretching northward beyond Atlanta and south into the Florida panhandle.

“The Chattahoochee River is the lifeblood of southwest Georgia, and this proposal would give citizens and businesses certainty about the flow of water they need for business and leisure alike,” Kemp said.

In the legal battle, Alabama accused Georgia of hogging water and putting residents in southeast Alabama residents at risk.

The agreement to settle the dispute must go through a process, including Army Corps of Engineers approval, before it becomes final.

The Corps oversees water control at dams along the waterways.

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