November 2, 2016
www.gfb.org
Vol. 34 No. 34
GFB FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN SCOTUS WATER SUIT On Oct. 21, attorneys for Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) filed an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, brief in the water lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court. Florida filed the suit in 2013, claiming Georgia’s overconsumption has caused environmental and economic harm in the Apalachicola Bay. In filing the suit, Florida asked that Georgia’s water withdrawals from the Chattahoochee and Flint River Basins be rolled back Look for the to 1992 levels. next issue of The Supreme Court appointed Ralph Lancaster as special master in the GFB News case, which is classified as an equitable apportionment case. Lancaster will Alert on hear the case and make a recommendation to the Supreme Court. The trial November 16. portion of the suit began Oct. 31 in Portland, Maine. At Lancaster’s urging, the two states have also engaged in mediation talks. In its brief, GFB pointed out the economic ramifications of drastic reduction or elimination of irrigation in Southwest Georgia. It was noted that water use has a $2.5 billion impact on the economy of Southwest Georgia. Half the counties in the Flint River Basin are designated by the USDA as “persistently poor” counties that depend on farming. “If access to water for irrigation disappears, farming disappears, and the communities Southwest Georgia disappear,” the attorneys wrote in the brief, also pointing out that other Georgia industries, like higher education and agricultural lending, depend heavily on farming. The brief included a review of GFB’s activities relating to water access, noting that the organization has been engaged in the creation of all of the state’s regional water plans, has formed a Water Commodity Committee and is heavily engaged in the passage of state conservation legislation. The brief called the court’s attention to advances in irrigation and conservation, noting that the original high-pressure sprinkler systems are giving way to low-pressure systems that result in significant water and energy savings. The brief also noted that the costs associated with irrigation serve as incentives for farmers to refrain from using more water than is needed. To that end, technologies are being developed to help farmers know when to irrigate and how much water to apply, taking into account the crop needs and localized weather data. Georgia’s farmers have also participated in water metering programs to measure their water use. More than 13,000 water meters have been installed to monitor agricultural water use in Georgia. Data from those meters, the brief said, has shown Georgia farmers use less water than previously thought. The brief concluded that irrigation is the best risk management tool in southwest Georgia, and the attorneys urged the court to factor in the region’s way of life and economic foundation in considering court-ordered water-sharing arrangements.