Officials Say Lake Lanier Water Decision 'Great Victory'

Although cautious in their response to Tuesday’s decision by the 11ths Circuit Court of Appeals to toss out a lower court ruling that would have restricted Atlanta's access to drinking water from Lake Lanier, officials are hailing it as a great victory for Georgians.

“The office of Gov. Nathan Deal is rapidly reviewing the decision of the 11thCircuit Court of Appeals on our water case, but at first glance it appears that the state of Georgia has won a great victory,” Brian Robinson, the governor’s deputy chief of staff for communications, said in a released statement. “The 11th Circuit panel has ruled unanimously that Lake Lanier was built for the purpose of water supply for the metro Atlanta area. This means that the lake will continue to be available to meet Georgia’s needs.”

Robinson said the governor remains committed, however, to working with Alabama and Florida towards a fair agreement regarding sharing of these water resources.

Had this decision not been overturned, starting in July 2012, Georgia's access to drinking water from Lake Lanier would have been restricted unless the governors of the three states came to some agreement to end the long-standing water wars between them.

The appeals court ruled that the U.S. Corps of Engineers must first issue a final decision on whether Georgia can have more water before legal challenges can proceed. Tuesday's decision overturned an earlier order from U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson.

U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall (R-GA) hailed the decision as a “major step forward for Gwinnett County and metro-Atlanta.” Gwinnett County gets all its water supply from Lake Lanier, drawing an average of about 575 million gallons per day for its 800,000 residents and business customers.

“This decision affirms what many Georgia officials involved in the tri-state water discussions have advocated for years, that the Lake Lanier Reservoir was meant to supply northeast Georgia’s families and businesses with a steady and adequate supply of water,” Woodall said in a release.  “With this decision there is now an honest foundation on which the three governors can proceed in their discussions on how to responsibly manage the water supply from the ACF river basin, which we must all share.  The best conservation techniques in the world wouldn’t help to counter a complete absence of water supply from Lake Lanier.”

Woodall said he looks forward to working with the governor and Georgia delegation, as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on the next steps to ensure that water from Lake Lanier will continue to flow to the millions of Georgia residents.