Judge rules in Coosa River dispute

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A federal judge ruled Friday that Alabama is premature with most of its lawsuit seeking to get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release more water for the Coosa River from Lake Altoona in north Georgia.

At the end of a hearing, U.S. District Judge Karon Bowdre said Alabama acted too soon because the Corps' decisions involving the lake were not final administrative actions.

``While this delays Alabama's efforts to ensure that the state will get the water to which it is entitled under federal law, Alabama will be ready to re-file the claims as soon as the law permits,'' said Jeremy King, spokesman for Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley.

The ruling involving the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Alabama river basin was the second setback for Alabama this week in its water war with Georgia. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday decided not to consider an appeal by Alabama and Florida of a court ruling that lets Georgia use more water from Lake Lanier. The lake flows into the Chattahoochee River, which forms part of the state line between Alabama and Georgia.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/6/250230