Environmentalists sue to stop water reservoir south of Atlanta

ATLANTA - Two environmental groups are asking a federal court to stop a planned 1,477-acre drinking-water reservoir in Henry and Butts counties, south of Atlanta. <br> <br> Georgia River Network and the Altamaha Riverkeeper filed the suit in U.S. District Court Wednesday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. <br> <br> ``Allowing this major new reservoir without looking at it in the context of all the other proposed reservoirs is like buying a new car without looking at your bank account,&#39;&#39; said David Farren, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which filed the suit for the two environmental groups. <br> <br> The lawsuit challenges the notion held by dozens of cities and counties across north Georgia that they can drought-proof their communities and answer their water supply problems by building their own, individual reservoirs. <br> <br> The two groups want the Army Corps to consider the cumulative effect of the multiple reservoirs proposed along some of the state&#39;s most critical rivers before signing off on it, including wetlands destruction and loss of aquatic life. <br> <br> ``The shame here is that (the corps is) going ahead and handing out permits on a piecemeal basis when they know they ought to be looking at it in a comprehensive manner,&#39;&#39; Farren said. <br> <br> The corps had not received the lawsuit and would not comment, said Jim Parker, corps spokesman in the Savannah District. <br> <br> The lawsuit wades directly into the debate over whether reservoirs are necessary. <br> <br> Environmentalists insist reservoirs should be the last resort. Counties and cities, more than a few of which had to enforce a total ban on outdoor watering to get through the recent drought, want to guarantee their future water supply now. <br> <br> The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife recommended the corps deny the Tussahaw Creek project. EPA urged the corps to wait until after the Atlanta region had completed a water supply study. A draft of the plan is due in May, with final adoption this year.