For thirty years, a battle has waged between the state of Georgia and Florida over a river and the water it provides. That battle is now headed to the Supreme Court.
The water originates in Lake Lanier, northeast of Atlanta, and generates hydropower. The lake is 60 square miles and, during good years, can serve Atlanta and communities as far south as the Florida Panhandle.
The problem arises when that lake faces a drought. Water levels lower, but water needs do not.
Georgia farmers depend on the Chattahoochee River to water local farms where they grow anything from Pecans and peanuts, to corn.
Florida is asking the Supreme Court to require Georgia to cap its water usage to leave enough fresh water to feed Apalachicola Bay, a small estuary that provides significant seafood to local communities, including oysters.
Florida fears another drought may be the tipping point that kills the estuary and hopes the Supreme Court will rule in it’s favor before then.
For more information and the full article from NPR, click here.