Florida and Georgia will face off in a Washington, D.C. courtroom in October as the two states battle for rights to the water in the Appalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin.
Ralph Lancaster, an attorney from Portland, Maine appointed by the US Supreme Court as Special Master in the years-long battle, filed a case management order Monday.
The order sets a pre-trial schedule for the proceedings and sets October 31 as the opening day of the trial. Arguments will be heard in US District Court in Washington, D.C.
Once all pre-trial matters are settled, the case should get underway at 8 a.m. on October 31, according to the order, with the trial proceeding as follows:
- Introduction of Florida’s pre-filed testimony and exhibits
- Cross-examination of Florida’s witnesses
- Redirect examination of Florida’s witnesses
- Introduction of Georgia’s pre-filed testimony and exhibits
- Cross-examination of Georgia’s witnesses
- Redirect examination of Georgia’s witnesses
- Florida’s rebuttal testimony and exhibits, cross-examination and redirect.
The case management order does not specify how long the trial might last.
While Alabama has been part of the so-called water wars over the past two decades, it is not part of this particular lawsuit.
In the suit, Florida claims Georgia is using an unfair share of the water in the ACF basin, including water from Lake Lanier.
