From the AJC Nov. 22:
Ralph Lancaster, special master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve the latest Water Wars lawsuit, from the AJC Nov. 22: "When this matter is concluded — and I hope I live long enough to see it happen — one and probably both of the parties will be unhappy with the court's order." "Both states will have spent millions and perhaps even billions of dollars to obtain a result which neither one wants."
From a May 2015 Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial: The water war between Florida, Alabama and Georgia shows no sign of abating as the governors of the three states seem content to allow the dispute to play out in court.
The legal impasse has devastated Florida’s oyster industry. With metropolitan Atlanta drawing the bulk of the water that flows from Lake Lanier in Georgia into the Apalachicola Bay, the industry that produces 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and 10 percent of the nation’s supply is in crisis.
The river basin is the source of drinking water for metropolitan Atlanta and is essential to Florida’s oyster industry along the Apalachicola Bay.
There is a lot at stake. Reaching an agreement with Georgia and Alabama through negotiation is a far better alternative than arguing for a win in court. The ACF Stakeholders understand this. The question is does (Fla. Gov. Rick) Scott and his elected colleagues in Alabama and Georgia?
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