Water Wars: “Man Versus Mussel”
It’s an oversimplification. But the slogan “man versus mussel” illustrates the conflicting priorities of three states involved in a 20-year-old water dispute.
For Georgia, Lake Lanier, a reservoir built in the early 1950’s, represents the primary source of drinking water for nearly 4 million Metro-Atlantans.
But the lake feeds the Chattahoochee River, which supplies fresh water to Florida’s Apalachicola River and Bay — home to federally-protected Gulf sturgeon and two species of mussel. (This is where the “man versus mussel” part comes in).
Florida claims these species require a steady flow of fresh water to survive. But Atlanta’s rapid growth, compounded by an ongoing drought, threatens to reduce the supply.
The “spigot” controlling how much water flows from Lake Lanier into the Chattahoochee is the Buford Dam — a Cold War era facility built to generate hydroelectric power. Now, the dam — managed by the Army Corps of Engineers — is at the center of a battle between three Republican governors.
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue says any water use plan should put “people first.” But Florida Governor Charlie Crist insists reduced fresh water flow would affect people in his state as well. Some biologists have suggested increased salinity would wreak havoc on Florida’s oyster harvest and hurt commercial fishing.
Alabama Governor Bob Riley says reductions in water flow down the Chattahoochee would also affect people in his state. The Farley Nuclear Power Plant, which draws water from the Chattahoochee River for coolant, provides his state with approximately 20 percent of its electricity.
All three states are embroiled in ongoing legal battles to determine how best to distribute limited resources among conflicting interests.
Related Post: Southern Governors Rage Water War Over Rights to Lake Lanier
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Jonathan Serrie is an Atlanta-based correspondent for FNC. He was
stationed in Macedonia during Operation Allied Force and in Uzbekistan
during Operation Enduring Freedom. 
Interesting report. Obviously there are more aspects to this than could be covered here. There are other major lakes further south that have been damaged far more severely and regularly than Lanier as a result of the demand for water in Florida. These lakes and the massive harm that occurs when they are drained for the mythical flows demanded for Plant Farley, the mussles and sturgeon are never mentioned. But the economic impacts that occur to surrounding communities when they are drained to supply water for Florida and Plant Farley are massive and ignored.
Its interresting that US Fish and Wildlife claims damage to wildlife in Florida, while ignoring damage to other species throughout the entire Chattahoochee basin. They demand the Corps offer massive drawdowns of northern lakes so they can get water to satisfy the questionable “problem”, when the real causes of damage to these species have been a loss of sediment in the Apalachcicola river, thus lowering the river, and the advent of the Flathead catfish that seem to have a voracious appetite for mussels and sturgeon eggs. Those truths conveniently never seem to emerge from US Fish and Wildlife and Florida.
Alabama steals water from federal lakes for a poorly designed power plant it built after the advent of the federal lakes– using water from lakes that was not authorized by Congress to support thermo electric power. Why weren’t these power plants designed for lower natural river flows that occur during drought
Lake Lanier used to be across the street from my house. I have watched the water recede for several years, and now look at docks on dry ground. In 2006, the Army Corp of Engineers MISTAKENLY released 22 BILLION gallons of water from the lake after installing a new gauge. This dropped the lake almost two feet. Throughout this drought I have traveled through Alabama. Most of the lakes appear near or sometimes above full pool. A review of current lake levels shows that few of the lakes in Alabama are more than 5 feet below full. Lanier and several other major lakes in Georgia are more than 15 feet down. It is also important to note that Georgia imposed strict water use restrictions several years ago. Alabama residents were interviewed on Atlanta news programs washing cars and watering lawns, blissfully ignorant of any need to conserve. Alabama reportedly lacks a legal mechanism for instituting watering restrictions. It seems Alabama is more interested in sharing our water than they are in sharing any pain.
My simplistic understanding (or mis-understanding) of key questions related to this issue:
1. Who decides how much and when to release water down the Chattahoochee?
2. Does this volume of water change based on conditions (i.e drought/flood)?
This is a very complicated issue. I think that no one will be completely happy with the outcome…I can see the point of view that people are more important than fish/mussels, but then the economical point of view for the people who need these fish/mussels for their businesses…
I don’t have enough information or “smarts” to really comment. I really feel badly for all the people that are involved…
Lake Lanier and GEORGIA WATER
Personally, I feel that if the inbound water is, let’s say on average 1000 gallons per day over the course of a year, then we should release the yearly average out, HOWEVER, if heavy rains pour 3000 gallons into the lake per day for 4 days, then 1000 gallons should still only be allowed to be released per day (or 4000 gallons total) per the yearly average. When the lake is full, then use the dam as it was meant to be – flood control and hydro-electric power.
Also, I just don’t understand why Alabama and Florida can not build their OWN dams from their own streams and THEIR own taxpayer’s money instead of relying on Georgia taxpayer’s monies – it just seems like their ecologically endanger musscle species is more important than our musscle species found all along the shore lines of Lake Lanier every time the water drops.
Governor Riley should practice what he preaches. Conservation efforts in north Georgia since the onset of the drought have yielded dramatic, quantifiable results in decreased water use. Water use in north Georgia, including metro Atlanta, decreased by at least 10 percent each month of 2008 (as compared with 2007). Some months realized even greater savings (water use in North Georgia decreased a dramatic 24%, for example, in a comparison done by Georgia EPD that compared August 2008 with August 2007).
While more can and should be done to encourage even higher levels of water conservation in north Georgia, the people of north Georgia have achieved impressive results thus far and have received scant recognition for it. Water users THROUGHOUT THE BASIN should be held the same line of scrutiny currently reserved for metro Atlanta — this includes those Alabamians and Floridians who share the same water as well as the politicians beyond Atlanta who make cheap political hay by continuing to point fingers upstream. It’s time to raise the bar throughout the basin, not just in Atlanta.”
Sorry, but I don’t think the people of Atlanta or any city should be able to use up as much water as they want without regard to the needs of all others involved, meaning animals, fish included and farmers.
Humans can find more ways to waste everything they get their hands on. I think if real efforts were made to manage the water usage and penalize those who use excessive amounts, the situation would slowly return to an acceptable arrangement for most, maybe not all.
Allocations should be made and monitored to determine true need and not “business as usual”, wasteful usage.
Really, not enough effort has been made to curtail peoples habits. It’s something all have to do to make a difference, not only a few with a conscience.
Lake Lanier is located at the headwaters of a river basin that is more than 300 miles long. Nearly all of the water that is consumed by Atlanta is treated, returned to the basin and re-released for downstream users. The problem is not Atlanta, it is drought. If Lake Lanier is drained dry, there will be no more water to release for Florida and Alabama during the summer months and the mussels will die. If there was no Lake Lanier the mussels would have been dead long ago. Somebody get a clue – draining the Lake to its bottom will not help the mussels.