Last week, the state of Florida filed suit against Georgia, asserting that Georgia uses too much water from Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers. According to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, “Georgia’s over-consumption of water threatens the existence of Apalachicola Bay and the future economic development of the region.” Contrary to Gov. Scott’s assertion, however, historical data shows that – even in recent drought years – more than 90 percent of the water that flows through the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin makes it to Apalachicola Bay.
While the oystermen and their families in the Florida panhandle are indeed suffering, metro Atlanta and Georgia are not to blame for their plight. The collapse of the oyster fishery resulted from several factors that came together to create a perfect storm. First, overharvesting in the wake of the BP oil spill decimated oyster populations. Before they could recover, exceptional drought reduced the amount of fresh water flowing into Apalachicola Bay. This led to increased salinity in the bay, already compromised by Sikes Cut, a manmade channel constructed through St. George’s Island off the coast of Apalachicola. Yet, rather than addressing the causes of the problem by restoring the oyster beds and advancing its own water conservation measures, Florida has chosen to waste additional taxpayer dollars on another lawsuit.
In contrast to Florida’s approach, metro Atlanta water systems and ratepayers have instead invested in strategies to reduce water use and return water to the basin. We have established some of the most aggressive water conservation measures in the country. These include tiered conservation pricing (the more you use, the more you pay) and toilet rebate programs. Local utilities have adopted sophisticated software and technologies to find and fix leaks in the water system. Gwinnett County itself has invested more than $1 billion to construct a plant and pipeline that returns highly treated wastewater to the system.
The Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District’s 15 counties, 92 municipalities and 108 water and wastewater utilities are required to implement provisions of regional water plans. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division enforces the plans through its audit process. We know of no other region in the country in which so many governments and water systems plan as comprehensively. In addition, the State of Georgia’s Water Stewardship Act mandates water-efficient fixtures statewide, limits outdoor watering and sets standards for reducing system leaks.
Our region’s water conservation is paying off. Since 2000, metro Atlanta’s regional per capita water use has dropped by more than 20 percent. Per capita water consumption is lower in metro Atlanta than in Tallahassee, Tampa, Birmingham or Montgomery. Impressively, total consumption has also dropped by over 10 percent, despite an increase in our population of about 1,000,000.
Metro Atlanta’s water stewardship will continue, as we plan for future population growth. In the meantime, decades of litigation have consumed finite financial resources in a three-state area, and sown mistrust among neighbors. We call on leaders in Florida to move beyond legal wrangling and spreading misinformation. Instead, they should follow Georgia’s lead with responsible water planning and conservation.
