FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Isakson Chairs Hearing on Critical Water Issues Facing Georgia
Tells Corps to Keep Its Commitment to Update Water Control Plan
for River Basins Serving Georgia, Alabama, Florida
Hearing Draws More Than 700

WASHINGTON – During a Senate field hearing in Gainesville, Ga., U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today implored the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep its commitment to update its outdated water control plan for the two river basins that serve Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

Isakson said updating the water control plan for the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basins would go a long way toward more fair management of the water supply that millions of Georgians rely on for drinking, business and recreation.

"In the absence of updating the water control plan, we're going to continue to have our hands tied in not being able to make the best decisions in managing these river basins," Isakson said at the hearing.

Isakson made the comments to corps officials as he chaired a field hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) also participated in the hearing.

"The water control plan is decades old. Thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of residents have moved to this part of Georgia since then. It is imperative that we update the water control plan to reflect 21st century demand and usage," Isakson said. "An updated plan is the critical piece of this whole thing."

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue as well as Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers testified at the hearing, which drew more than 700 people. Forsyth County Commission Chairman Jack Conway, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce President Kit Dunlap and Jackie Joseph of the Lake Lanier Association also testified.

Alabama sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1990 to block the corps from giving metro Atlanta any more water out of Lake Lanier. The lake, which is owned by the corps and is located 35 miles northeast of Atlanta, holds two-thirds of the water stored on the Chattahoochee River. Since then, Alabama, Florida and Georgia have made a number of attempts to negotiate a long-term agreement on how to share water.

In June a faulty gauge allowed 22 billion gallons to be accidentally released from Lake Lanier, further lowering the lake level. The states worked out a short-term deal that expired on July 24.

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