Currently Georgia, Alabama, and Florida are in negotiations concerning the surface waters these states share. There is an interstate Compact for each basin that directs the states to develop an allocation formula for equitably apportioning the waters of the shared river basins while complying with existing federal laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Rivers and Harbors Act. The federal agencies involved with this process have spent years of effort and millions of dollars supporting the states' negotiations with information and technical expertise. The negotiations are a highly complex process with many diverse stakeholders and competing interests. Sentiments from the grassroots of the basins are high now.
People are concerned.
They have been educated. It is my opinion that they will not go quietly away into the night ever again, and it is my belief that they should not. But it is also my belief that these same concerned people will go a long way in supporting a conscientious and balanced agreement, even if it comes in stages, with responsible commitment to follow through in implementation and by maintaining ongoing wise stewardship. It is a certainty that there will be a long and very arbitrary period of disputes and litigation, and during this period there will be literally a drift of all of the stewardship and responsible management of the natural resources. Or at best, without any direction, just the status quo will prevail.