Georgia loses ‘water war’ with Tennessee

May 7, 2:22 PMAcworth Liberal ExaminerSitafa Harden

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Acworth's Lake Allatoona drying up during last year's drought. Photo by davetoaster.

In the fight to claim part of the Tennessee River, Georgians have won the battle but lost the war.

For Acworth and other metro Atlanta cities this may mean more summers full of outdoor watering restrictions and drought warnings.

In 2008, both Republican-controlled chambers of the Georgia legislature approved a resolution asserting that the U.S. survey of 1818 had mistakenly set the state’s border off by mile. They claimed Georgia should be allowed to extend its border to include a small section of land on the Tennessee River.

The border extension would have included a small section of Tennessee River and provided access to build a badly needed water-treatment plant and pipeline to Atlanta.

But while Dave Doyle, the nation's chief surveyor, admitted that the boundaries in the region in question are a bit off, he says no state borders are going to be changed.

According to The Knoxville News Sentinel, Doyle told reporters,

"Where the marker is now is accepted. Even if it's 10 miles off, once it's adopted by the states, which it has been, the numerical errors are irrelevant. It becomes the legal definition."

So far, adequate rains this year have eliminated many of Georgia’s water woes. But long-range plans are still needed to maintain adequate water supplies in the future.