WASHINGTON and TALLAHASSEE (970 WFLA) -- Florida wins the latest battle in the great southeast water war... but it's not over by a long shot.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered a special master appointed to settle the 30 year battle over fresh water from the Apalachicola River basin to reconsider a ruling that favored Georgia's position.
Basically, Georgia has been using more and more of the water from the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers to quench its thirst, especially as Atlanta has grown. That means less water flowing into the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay, upsetting the fresh-to-salt-water balance of the brackish bay and devastating the oyster industry in Franklin County.
Apalachicola used to produce 10 percent of the nation's oyster supply, but Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says the lack of fresh water is devastating the bay, and the people who work there.
"By helping (Apalachicola) Bay, we're putting families to work and helping them feed their children," Putnam said.
The Supreme Court did not settle the issue... it simply continued a legal battle that's been going on for 30 years,