Georgia-Tennessee Water Wars Heating Up

Remember the water wars in Georgia and the Southeast of a few years ago? Well, they're baaack.

Both houses of the Georgia General Assembly have passed a resolution proposing that the Georgia-Tennessee state line be changed. The reason? According to House Resolution 4, so that Georgia "shall be able to exercise its riparian water rights to the Tennessee River at Nickajack."

The 2013 resolution and the so-called border dispute date way back. According to the resolution, the state line is at the 35th parallel and would have been on the northernmost bank of the Tennessee River at Nickajack.

However, a flawed 1818 survey "erroneously placed the mark of the 35th parallel approximately one mile south of the actual location of the 35th parallel of north latitude," the resolution states.

"Since that time, numerous resolutions and enactments by the State of Georgia and the State of Tennessee have recognized that there is a problem with this boundary between the states; but, despite these actions by the governments of the State of Georgia and the State of Tennessee, there has been no resolution to this continuing dispute...."

The resolution was sponsored in the Georgia Senate by Sen. David Shafer of Duluth. Suwanee legislators Sen. Renee Unterman and Reps. Buzz Brockway and Josh Clark voted for the resolution.

The resolution urges the governors and legislatures of the states to settle the dispute. If that does not happen, Georgia legislators say the matter could wind up in court.

Do you favor this resolution? Do you think the Georgia-Tennessee state line should be changed? Post your comments below.

~ Suwanee Patch