Judge rules that Atlanta can’t take water from Lake Lanier
On July 17, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson issued a major ruling in the years-long legal fight between Georgia, Alabama and Florida over water in two major river basins. The judge ruled that the Corps of Engineers has illegally allowed metro Atlanta to withdraw water from Lake Lanier, which was originally approved in 1970 by Congress for flood control, hydropower and navigation. The fast-sprawling metro Atlanta region has come to rely heavily on the lake for its drinking water supply.
The judge's ruling presents a major opportunity for Georgia, as well as Alabama, to come to terms with their water resources management and implement an array of environmentally sustainable measures and projects that will provide clean water for its citizens for the long-term.