EPD director nominee is veteran of water wars

ATLANTA - Gov. Nathan Deal has nominated the executive counsel for his predecessor as the next director of the state Environmental Protection Division... a man who is a veteran of the water wars with Florida and Alabama.

Deal said Thursday that Jud Turner would begin work the first week in January if he is approved by the state Department of Natural Resources board. If approved, Turner will replace Allen Barnes, who is leaving to work in the private sector.

Deal says Barnes will, however, continue in his role as a member of Georgia's tri-state water negotiations team.

Turner is a founding partner in the law firm Turner, Bachman & Garrett LLC and public affairs firm Georgia360 LLC. He was Gov. Sonny Perdue's lead attorney and represented the governor during the water war negotiations.

(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)