The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State also wins legal battle over metro area water supply.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has expanded a natural disaster declaration to 11 North Georgia counties after initially declaring a drought disaster in four counties last week.
That comes as Georgia celebrates another win in its many legal battles over water.
In its declaration, the USDA said those counties have experienced at least eight weeks of drought. Some are undergoing exceptional drought conditions, the most severe level.
While the main growing season has ended, the drought means pastures are too dry for cattle to graze, so many farmers will need to buy feed. It’s also time to plant grains like wheat and rye for spring, but the drought-parched ground has been too dry.
The disaster declaration allows farmers in the 11 pri- mary counties, another 11 contiguous counties in Geor- gia and five contiguous coun- ties in neighboring states to apply for emergency loans and other aid.
Recent forecasts also hold some hope for North Geor- gia farmers, according to Uni- versity of Georgia agricul- tural climatologist Pam Knox. After weeks of warm, sunny weather that helped dry out the land, rain is coming.
“Every little bit of rain is going to help chip away at
that drought,” Knox said. “It’s not going to wipe away the drought anytime soon, but it will help from getting things worse.”
While the drought disas- ter is in the northern part of the state, the metro Atlanta region is also dryer than usual. Many metro counties are experiencing abnormal dryness to moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
It’s always wise to conserve water, but things aren’t yet dry enough to cause serious concern for Atlanta-area res
idents, said Katherine Zitsch, senior water policy adviser for the Atlanta Regional Com- mission.
“What we’re looking at is a Lake Lanier level that’s going down,” she said.
The Georgia Environmen- tal Protection Division has not declared a drought in the state, which would prompt any official water-conserva- tion measures.
Both Zitsch and Knox said the current El Niño weather pattern should make for a rainy winter that eases the drought, though it’s too soon
to be certain.
Drought conditions can make things complicated between Georgia and neigh- boring states that use water from the same river basins.
The state has been engaged in legal battles for decades with Florida and Alabama, which both argue they want more water to flow down- stream from Georgia. The state won a U.S. Supreme Court fight with Florida sev- eral years ago.
On Nov. 9, a judge sided with Georgia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and oth
ers in a different water law- suit. The ruling means a 2015 plan to manage the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin does not need to be thrown out. The state of Alabama and Alabama Power had argued it should be.
This is a major step in the case, though it’s still not fully resolved. The 2015 water-control manual had also been challenged by Georgia parties and has since been updated to dedi- cate water supply from Alla- toona Lake to metro Atlanta.
Alabama is also challenging that newer version.
Meanwhile, an appeal in another water case is still pending.
Alabama Power said in a statement that it’s “still in the process of reviewing the lengthy opinion.”
For their part, Georgia officials said the decision will “benefit all ACT stakeholders.” That includes Cobb County, the City of Marietta and others whose water supply could be affected.
“Our work isn’t finished, however,” said Zitsch of the Atlanta Regional Commission. “We will continue to be good stewards of our shared waters and, when necessary, to defend our water-supply needs in court.”