Gainesville Rotarians hear another tri-state water deadline

GAINESVILLE - The man Governor Sonny Perdue appointed to head up a tri-state water agreement told Gainesville Rotarians Monday there's another deadline Georgia needs to watch.

Georgia Power president Michael Garrett said not meeting the three-year federal court deadline to get Lake Lanier water use authorized is unacceptable and a tri-state water use compact between Alabama, Florida and Georgia has to pass the legislatures of those states in the upcoming sessions.

"We cannot afford to let this issue go beyond there," Garrett said. "If we start over with three brand new governors I don't think there is any way we can meet the three year deadline."

Garrett said the governors of the three states end their terms in December next year. Garrett said he remains 'guardedly' optimistic about a compact between the three states and about Tuesday's meeting between the governors in Montgomery, Alabama on the water sharing issue.

"I expect that meeting will be cordial and the governors will come out saying the same thing they said when the federal ruling came out, and that is that they would like to see a water compact agreement between all three states," Garrett said.

Garrett said a political compromise on water sharing and use in the Apalachicola, Flint, and Chattahoochee (ACF) River basins is within reach, adding that setting up a contingency plan, while necessary, is not the true solution.

"The only answer to get this done in three years is a tri-state water agreement," Garrett said. "We have to be able to use water out of Lake Lanier."

COSTLY CAP AND TRADE

Garrett predicted higher power bills are in the future if the so-called 'cap-and trade' bill passes Congress; he expects no action on the measure soon because of the health care bill,but when and if it becomes law it could be costly.

â