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| Copyright © 2009. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Statement |
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Summary of a Workshop on Water Issues in the Apalachicola-
Chattahoochee-Flint and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa
(ACF-ACT) River Basins
Jeffrey Jacobs, Rapporteur
W ater Science and Technology Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
PREPUBLICA TION
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of
the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National
Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The
members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences
and with regard for appropriate balance.
Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under Award No.
W91278-09-P-0063. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations
or agencies that provided support for the project.
The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be
interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied of the
U.S. Government.
International Standard Book Number X-XXX-XXXXX-X (Book)
International Standard Book Number X-XXX-XXXXX-X (PDF)
Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth
Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the
Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2009 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
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The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of
distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of
science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter
granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the
federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the
National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National
Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its
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sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research,
and recognizes the superior achievement of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the
National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure
the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters
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Dr. Harvey V . Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to
associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of
furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general
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the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services
to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is
administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph, J. Cicerone and
Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
www.national-academies.org
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STEERING COMMITTEE FOR A WORKSHOP ON W ATER ISSUES IN THE
APALACHICOLA-CHATT AHOOCHEE-FLINT AND ALABAMA-COOSA-
TALLAPOOSA (ACF-ACT) RIVER BASINS
David H. Moreau, Moderator, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Gerald G. Galloway, University of Maryland, College Park
Joan G. Ehrenfeld, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Theodore L. Hullar, consultant, Tucson, Arizona
James L. W escoat, Jr., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
National Research Council Staff
Jeffrey Jacobs, Scholar
Stephen Russell, Senior Program Assistant
v
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W ATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD
CLAIRE WEL TY ,Chair , University of Maryland, Baltimore County
JOAN G. EHRENFELD, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey
GERALD E. GALLOW A Y , University of Maryland, College Park
SIMON GONZALEZ, National Autonomous University of Mexico
CHARLES N. HAAS, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
KENNETH R. HERD, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Brooksville
JAMES M. HUGHES, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
THEODORE L. HULLAR, consultant, Tucson, Arizona
KIMBERL Y L. JONES, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
G. TRACY MEHAN III, The Cadmus Group, Inc., Arlington, Virginia
DA VID H. MOREAU, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
THOMAS D. O’ROURKE, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
DONALD I. SIEGEL, Syracuse University, New York
SOROOSH SOROOSHIAN, University of California, Irvine
HAME M. W A TT, consultant, Washington, D.C.
JAMES L. WESCOA T, JR., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Staff
STEPHEN D. P ARKER, Director
JEFFREY JACOBS, Scholar
LAURA J. EHLERS, Senior Staff Officer
STEPHANIE E. JOHNSON, Senior Staff Officer
LAURA J. HELSABECK, Associate Staff Officer
M. JEANNE AQUILINO, Financial and Administrative Associate
ELLEN A. DE GUZMAN, Research Associate
ANITA A. HALL, Senior Program Associate
MICHAEL STOEVER, Senior Program Assistant
STEPHEN RUSSELL, Senior Program Assistant
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Foreword
The southern states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia share two large river systems—the
Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint (ACF) rivers, and the Alabama, Coosa, and Tallapoosa
(ACT) rivers. Much of the water in these river systems is stored and allocated for various uses in
10 reservoirs operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and in 21 non-federal reservoirs.
The shared waters of these interstate river systems have been the subjects of extensive
negotiations and litigation since the 1980s.
The water-related disputes and differences of opinion among the federal government, the
states, and other entities in the basin may seem unusual to the uninitiated observer, as the western
U.S. traditionally has been the site of disputes over shared water resources. Friction regarding
shared water resources, however, is increasingly common across the nation. Examples from the
eastern U.S. include New Y ork City—which has had disputes with some Delaware River Basin
communities—and the Savannah River and the Tennessee River, both of which are subject to
disputes over shared inter-state waters. The ACF-ACT river systems are an example of where
extended drought and population growth, even in a humid region, have led to reduced water
deliveries to some users and to tensions and litigation.
There are differences of opinion over water resources decisions in this region, on many
different topics and at a variety of levels and spatial scales. There also is limited or incomplete
scientific information related to several key water management concerns. Questions such as
“How much water does the Atlanta metropolitan area use?” or “How much water is required by
endangered and other important species in Apalachicola Bay?” do not have clear answers. Lack
of clarity on these and other hydrologic and scientific issues may obstruct agreement and inhibit
more flexible water management regimes and decisions.
In response to a request from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, staff members from the
National Academies’ Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB), along with a five-person
WSTB steering committee,1 organized a one-day workshop to discuss a range of water science
and planning issues. The workshop was held on April 3, 2009 in Washington, D.C., and engaged
a group of nearly 50 water resources experts, stakeholders, and political officials. The objective
1
Steering committee members are listed in this report’s frontmatter.
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viii Foreword
of the event was to identify the key management issues in the ACF-ACT basins, and to identify
study topics and questions that might be pursued as a means to support better water management
decisions (see the Statement of Task for this event in Appendix A). The workshop generated a
great deal of enthusiasm and featured vigorous exchanges of ideas and perspectives among
meeting participants.
Following this event, a list of the topics discussed at the workshop and a list of possible
topics and questions that might be usefully pursued in a future study(ies) was compiled by the
WSTB staff and summarized in this workshop summary. Although the workshop was not
designed to produce specific findings or recommendations, many workshop participants
expressed the view that a forward-looking, comprehensive water resources assessment would be
of great value in helping the Corps of Engineers and Alabama, Florida, Georgia in their water
resources planning for the next 20-30 years. Topics that could be usefully pursued within such a
study include future water supply scenarios and management options; changes in water demands
and demand patterns across the region; connections between river flows and impacts on
downstream ecology and species of concern; and the effects of climate change on water
availability.
This summary was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse
perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with the procedures approved by the NRC’s
Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and
critical comments that will assist the NRC in making its published report as sound as possible,
and to ensure that the report meets NRC institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and
responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain
confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their
review of this report: Aris Georgakakos, Georgia Institute of Technology; William L. Graf,
University of South Carolina; G. Tracy Mehan, The Cadmus Group, Inc., and; A. Dan Tarlock,
Chicago Kent College of Law. Although these reviewers provided many constructive comments
and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the summary before its release. The review of
this report was overseen by the NRC Division on Earth and Life Studies, which was responsible
for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance
with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered.
Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the author and the institution.
I wish to thank the participants from the ACF-ACT region and other parts of the nation who
attended and participated in the workshop. It was a pleasure to host them and to learn of the
many different perspectives and opinions regarding water management in the ACF-ACT rivers.
The discussions at the meeting were professional and informative and the cooperative spirit of
the invitees contributed greatly to the success of the event.
Jeffrey Jacobs, National Research Council
Rapporteur
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