Georgia's battle to tap into the Tennessee River by re-visiting a centuries-old border survey passed both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly Wednesday.

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The Georgia Senate unanimously passed a resolution to pursue a claim that the south side of the river —at least— belongs to Georgia. The Georgia House passed a companion resolution, though with some dissent. House members approved the measure by a 136 to 26 vote.

State Rep. Harry Geisinger (R-Roswell), sponsor of the House resolution fielded questions from lawmakers skeptical that revisiting an ancient dispute is worth the effort. One asked what would happen in the state of Tennessee ignored Georgia's claim.

"I think we may find ourselves in court and I think we will have a strong position," Geisinger said.

In the Senate, lawmakers broke into a rendition of "This Land is My Land," as Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) stood up to speak. Shafer introduced the resolution, which has been mocked by Tennessee lawmakers and scoffed at by some folks who live in the small border towns that would be affected.

Lawmakers want to fix a problem caused by an inaccurate land survey from 1818 that improperly marked the Tennessee-Georgia border south of where it should be. Shafer's resolution would establish Georgia's real northern boundary about a mile farther north into what is now Tennessee —giving Georgia access to the massive Tennessee River.

"The boundary of the state is the boundary of the state and can only be changed by acts of the Tennessee and Georgia legislatures and of the U.S. Congress, " Shafer said. "It cannot be changed by a mathematician with a faulty compass."

"Do the math," Shafer said, "There's more Georgia water in the Tennessee River than there is in our own Chattahoochee."

Hyosup Shin/AJC

[Above] A post marked by the Tennessee Valley Authority to draw lines of the borders of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. [Below] Tennessee River.