Human life entirely depends on water for survival. Water has many uses ranging from domestic to commercial. Each state in America has a right to access adequate water that is enough to sustain its populace. However, in the Southeast where swamps, rivers, the heavy thunderstorms, high humidity, and marshes are common, few individuals thought that water scarcity would be a major problem. The urban growth in the three states Georgia, Florida, and Alabama and the recent droughts in the last decades stir fierce battles between the partisan states. The paper describes water wars between the three states, presents a viable solution, and reviews previous solutions to the water wars.
The dispute involves the mode of future allocation of water from two rivers among the three states. The river basins cross their borders. For Georgia, the rivers must supply enough water to allow for the continual growth of Atlanta and Columbus (Business news, 2014). In addition, Georgia needs sufficient water for its agricultural use. As the major downstream users, Florida and Alabama want enough water to sustain their economic growth. Alabama requires water for power generation fisheries and municipal supply. On the other hand, Florida requires the water from the same source to sustain its multi-million dollar shellfish industry that is presently under server ecological stress (Tri-State Water Wars, 2014). The outcome of the conflict is the chief environmental issue facing the area with the inclusion of courts, mediators and several federal agencies.
The proposed solution to the water war is for each state to have a comprehensive water plan that reduces reliance on the two rivers. In the water plan, all the states must include modalities of creating alternative water sources such as ways of harvesting and storing rainwater and digging more bore holes with permanent water sources. The plan reduces dependence on water from the two rivers by the three states and creates alternative water sources. Hence, it resolves the conflict. Proposed suggestions to solve the problem demand that each state formulates a water plan that strengthens its position in negotiating for a share of the water from the rivers (Yellin, 2009). The solution does not address the scarcity problem but intensifies the war as it gives the partisan countries other reasons to fight for their share of the water. Until the creating alternative water sources in the states commences, the Tri-State water war will heighten as the two rivers cannot sustain the fast-paced development activities in the three states.
References
Business news. (n.d.). Southeast Water Wars: Georgia Winning over Alabama And Florida. International Business Times. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.ibtimes.com/southeast-water-wars-georgia-winning-over-alabama-florida-1356799
Tri-State Water Wars (AL, GA, FL) | Southern Environmental Law Center. (2014, April 17). Tri-State Water Wars (AL, GA, FL) | Southern Environmental Law Center. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from https://www.southernenvironment.org/cases-and-projects/tri-state-water-wars-al-ga-fl
Yellin, E. (2009, March 1). Alabama, Florida and Georgia Fight Crucial Water War. The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/02/us/alabama-florida-and-georgia-fight-crucial-water-war.html
