Perdue forms team to fight water ruling

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Gov. Sonny Perdue on Thursday assembled a team to help fashion the state’s response to a federal judge’s ruling that metro Atlanta may not use Lake Lanier as its primary water supply.

Michael Garrett, president and CEO of Georgia Power, will be what the governor referred to as the “quarterback” of the team, which has 130 business leaders, local and state politicians and representatives of state agencies. Garrett’s company is among the largest water users in the state.

A Perdue spokesman later said Garrett was chosen to head the team because he is a “respected business leader that knows this issue very well.”

Perdue did not elaborate on the team’s goal but said part of the strategy is to convince Congress that the tri-state water war is a national issue requiring congressional action.

Georgia, Florida and Alabama have been fighting 19 years over how to use water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin. A judge ruled last Friday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been illegally drawing water from Lake Lanier for Atlanta’s needs.

He gave the states three years to work out a plan to be approved by Congress.

Perdue and his “multi-pronged impact team” met Thursday morning to discuss what the ruling means for the state. Speaking to reporters afterward, the governor reiterated his plans to “vigorously” appeal the ruling while looking for other ways to get and store water.

Georgia Power is owned by Atlanta-based Southern Co., which also owns utilities in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

While it may seem easy for all three sister utilities to come to an agreement — and perhaps encourage the governors of all three states to do the same — Garrett may run into some trouble with at least one of the utilities.

A spokesman for Alabama Power on Thursday told the AJC he thought the judge’s ruling was “very satisfying to us.”

Two Southern Co. power plants, including the Farley Nuclear Plant, depend on water from the Chattahoochee. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley used the Farley plant as a news conference backdrop in 2006 to dispute Perdue’s refrain that water was being released out of Lanier to benefit Florida mollusks.

A Georgia Power spokesman said the company remains optimistic that there will be common ground between the states.

“Responsible people at the table will develop responsible solutions,” said Jeff Wilson, company spokesman.

John Brock, chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises,said the governor did an excellent job conveying the seriousness of the situation.

“Clearly it’s all about looking at this as a crisis and a chance to really bring together all the people, including business leaders, legislators, regulatory people, to rally support for the governor’s team and, ultimately, to get the three states to try to come together with some sort of proposal they can take to Congress,” said Brock, who also chairs the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s environmental policy and sustainability committee.

Staff writer Dan Chapman contributed to this story.