After nearly 20 years of litigation and no resolution concerning the allocation of water shared by Georgia, Alabama and Florida, a group involving parties with vested interests in those states plans to
assert its voice.

ACF Stakeholders began to take shape last year after an initial meeting involving seven people throughout the basin and has become incorporated in Georgia as a nonprofit corporation.

The initial meeting of the group’s governing board, which will be selected by representatives from each sub-basin this month, plans to meet Dec. 10 in Albany.

"This organization reflects the best chances that the three states have of arriving at a resolution to the conflict over the waters of the (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint) Basin," said Wilton Rooks, the group’s interim president and an executive committee member for the Upper Chattahoochee sub-basin.

"As a representative from the largest population center in the basin, I look forward to working with the representatives from the other basins. Our goal is to arrive at solutions that are beneficial to all users."

The basin, commonly referred to as the ACF, spans from Northeast Georgia, taking in Lake Lanier, to the Gulf of Mexico, straddling the three states.

The issue of water storage has been in and out of the courts for years, with U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson ruling in July that water withdrawal was never a congressionally authorized use of Lake Lanier.

The ruling gives Georgia three years to come up with a water-sharing plan with Alabama and Florida, stop using the reservoir for water consumption or have Congress reauthorize the lake’s use.

The ruling doesn’t block but would severely restrict Hall County’s reliance on Lanier.

"We believe we have a broadly based, representative group that the powers that be — the states and the federal agencies — will want to listen to," said Rooks, a Forsyth County native.

The group has set as its motto, "Working together to share a common resource."

Rooks also is a member of the Lake Lanier Association, which has served as an advocacy group for years, and 1071 Coalition, which formed in December with an eye toward ensuring that management practices keep Lanier full.

At the time 1071 Coalition was formed, Georgia was in extreme drought and the lake was way below its full pool of 1,071 feet above sea level. Lanier has stayed above 1,071 feet since Oct. 14.

Rooks said ACF Stakeholders is now working to attract members "of organizations throughout the basin."

"We have members representing recreation, nuclear power, industry (and) environmental groups," he said.

Also, the group could include officials from water departments in Gainesville, Columbus and LaGrange.

In December, the group will form a permanent executive committee.

"There are several goals in terms of what the group wants to do," Rooks said. "First of all, they want to establish a unified voice for the stakeholders. This does not exist. There is no organization that speaks for all of the varied interests."

The group believes "there is a need for better technical and scientific information about the watershed," Rooks said. "Everybody quotes different numbers and there’s a need for that to be consolidated, explored and researched into a consistent set of numbers."

The group has consensus as the rule for agreement, a standard that Rooks believes will force the group "to look at issues that benefit everybody in the basin."

"We think there are some significant issues ... we can come to a consensus on that will influence the future management and utilization of the watershed."

Alex Laidlaw, president of the 1071 Coalition and vice president of WestTrec Marinas, said he believes the group "is probably going to have some limited success, although the limited success may be significant."

"I think consensus is really going to be hard to get. But if you do get it, it’s going to be a really significant thing. I think it’ll provide some cover for the governors and for the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)."

One issue where the group might find common ground is "water consumptive" permits in Georgia, Rooks said.

"Right now, we have water withdrawal permits, but there is no requirement on water users to put back a certain amount of water back into the watershed," Rooks said.

"The more water you leave in the system, the better off ... everybody is."