We still need a water plan

By Staff
Johnny Mack Morrow
Tornados and violent weather have been frequent occurrences this winter, and experts say the trend may continue through spring. The destruction in Prattville, the loss of life in Lawrence and Jackson Counties, and the property damage from wind and hail have been painful for our state. But the old adage about dark clouds and silver linings holds true–the storms have brought rain, much needed rain.
For the past two years, our state has been in one of the worst droughts on record. Lake levels plummeted, fields cracked, and crops burned as rainfall totals continued to drop. While dangerous weather is something we all have experienced, a drought like the one we're going through is uncharted territory. That is why for most of us when we see a line of thunderstorms moving through the state, while worrying about tornados, we are mostly happy at the prospect of rain.
The recent rain is making a difference. The state climatologist at the University of Huntsville, Dr. John Christy, recently published rainfall data that shows significant areas of the state are now out of the drought range. The Wiregrass, Black Belt, and Coastal Plains are all within normal rainfall totals, and the western part of the state up through Tuscaloosa, Walker, Marion and Winston counties are only slightly behind average.
However, East and Central Alabama, along with the entire Tennessee Valley, are still in the grip of drought. The area around Lake Guntersville needs more than eight inches of rain to move it out of the drought range, and it looks like it will be months before conditions move beyond severe.
Drought conditions put a lot of pressure on the entire region's water supplies, and the tensions between states, especially Georgia and its neighbors, are rising. Things are so critical for Georgia that it has even started to question its border with Tennessee, saying that the current state line may not be in the right place.
The real issue with the border is that Georgia wants to tap into the Tennessee River close to Chattanooga, and if it can prove that its state border actually is supposed to touch that waterway, it will be able to build an aqueduct from there to Atlanta. It's unlikely that this will get far.
Fighting with Georgia over water is something that Alabamians can understand. Many of our state waterways originate in Georgia, including the important Coosa, and we have been in a fight for more than a decade over what is the proper share Atlanta can take from these sources. Recently a deal made between Georgia and the Army Corps of Engineers, the agency in charge of the reservoirs at the head of these watersheds, was struck down by the federal courts after Alabama sued. The deal gave an inordinate amount of water to Atlanta, and threatened the habitat and economic health of river communities in our state.
The Bush Administration tried to broker a deal between Alabama, Georgia, and Florida about common water resources and the talks recently collapsed. You have a president and three governors all from the same political party and they couldn't come to an agreement, a clear example that when it comes to something as important as water, party means nothing. Georgia is so desperate about water because they have never planned for its use.
The growth in Atlanta has never been accompanied with planning on water, and now they are in a crisis. While areas of Alabama have been planning for water usage, there has never been a statewide water plan, and that has hindered us in the federal courts.
The Legislature is working to establish the Permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy and Management. The committee would consist of members of the House and Senate and would present its initial report to the Legislature in the 2009 regular session. This planning committee will be charged with organizing a state water policy that protects our valuable rivers while ensuring that growth and progress consider water. From the Tennessee to the Mobile, all of our rivers and lakes need a plan to ensure their future.
We pray that the rains continue to come. But the good Lord also expects us to use resources wisely.
Johnny Mack Morrow is a state representative for Franklin County. His column appears each Wednesday.