Lake group's Perry ponders real reason for 'water wars'

LAKE LANIER ISLANDS - The executive vice president of the Lake Lanier Association said Thursday the true motive behind the tri-state water wars might be economic competition.

At a Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce water issues meeting at Lake Lanier Islands Val Perry said the 'water wars' might be all about Alabama and Florida seeking to slow down Georgia's rapid growth rather than how the water should be shared.

"If you can disrupt our water flow and the amount of storage we have, Florida and Alabama would be the beneficiaries of that," Perry said.

Perry added that Lake Lanier's comeback depends of Corps of Engineer management and the weather.

Perry said the Corps needs to continue reduced cubic foot per second releases and the lake needs rain.

"We really need to keep it at 1000 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) out of Lanier and we need rain because it's going to be two years before we build this lake back up," Perry said.

Perry said last year Corps water releases from Lanier were double what they are now.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/1/205659