Georgia's leaders warned taxpayers to brace for a more expensive legal battle over water. We now have our first glimpse of exactly how much it will cost.
Gov. Nathan Deal has signed an executive order transferring $4 million from his emergency fund to float litigation costs in the latest phase of the fight with Florida over the resource. Deal's aides have warned that they may have to dip even deeper into the $11 million emergency fund to continue the legal battle.
Georgia won a string of recent court victories in the long-running fight with Florida and Alabama over water rights. But the streak was snapped in November when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a last-ditch legal maneuver by Florida seeking to limit Georgia's water withdrawals from the Chattahoochee River to 1992 levels. Back then, metro Atlanta's population hovered around 3 million people. It now surpasses 5.4 million.
Georgia is digging in for the latest phase of the courtroom feud. Deal tapped a water czar who will, for the first time, coordinate the state's efforts. The legal team has flatly rejected Florida's arguments in court filings. And behind-the-scenes negotiations between the three states grind on.
Gone, though, is the optimism from just a few years ago when state officials openly talked of a timely resolution to the decades-old dispute.
About the Author
