Following the release of a Special Master's report last week favoring Georgia over Florida in the long-running battle over water, a Florida senator is turning to Congress for help.
Bill Nelson, a Democrat, filed legislation that would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to send more freshwater south from Georgia into Apalachicola Bay.
The move comes after a Special Master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court, Ralph Lancaster, ruled against Florida in its ongoing dispute with Georgia over the state’s use of water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, which includes Lake Lanier.
Florida sued Georgia in 2013, claiming that the lack of freshwater now flowing into Apalachicola Bay is threatening to destroy the oyster industry there. Florida asked the Court to cap the amount of water Georgia can use from the river, a request Lancaster denied in a 70-page report he filed Tuesday.
In response to Lancaster's decision, Nelson filed legislation that would, among other things, explicitly require the Army Corps to send an adequate amount of freshwater south to Apalachicola Bay.
“The lack of freshwater flowing into Apalachicola Bay is having a devastating effect on the local oyster industry and local economy,” Nelson said. “The oystermen whose livelihood depends on having enough freshwater in the bay are relying on us to get this fixed.”
Nelson filed similar legislation in 2013. That measure, which was filed as an amendment to a broader water bill the Senate was considering at the time, was not included in the final water bill Congress approved that year.
A copy of Nelson’s legislation can be found here.
Florida's other U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, a Republican, also promises to continue the fight, according to varioius Florida media outlets.
Meanwhile, the the Apalachicola Riverkeeper calls Lancaster's recommendation "a setback in terms of immediate action to help the Apalachicola River and Bay. But the fight is certainly not over and Florida now has an even more compelling case based on the findings (and) "we strongly encourage Florida's elected and appointed leaders...to push for meaningful corrective action immediately..."
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says he is "incredibly pleased" with Lancaster's recommendation.
