The Georgia Senate gave final approval Thursday to a compromise that addresses how the state protects threatened wildlife when drought hits the Flint River Basin.
Senate Bill 213, which involved more than a year of fighting among Republicans and Democrats, environmentalists and property rights activists, now heads to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature.
The bill is a far cry from the wide-reaching bill first introduced that would have allowed the state to push more water to Florida in an effort to end a long-running feud with the Sunshine State.
That version would have given the state power to restrict farmers from drawing water from the basin during dry spells. Environmental groups saw it as a threat to long-standing Georgia water law and an intrusion of private property rights. They also feared the bill’s true intent was to allow the construction of a new network of pumps to store water in underground aquifers and siphon downstream during drought.
Instead, SB 213 now would affect only four streams in southwest Georgia where water is occasionally added to protect threatened wildlife. It would allow government to prevent individuals from siphoning water from those streams if water was added to protect aquatic life.
The Senate passed the bill by a 48-2 vote, after the House passed the bill Wednesday.
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