One environmentalist compared it to building a house. Alabama and Georgia are trying to build a house they will have to live in 30 years. They have worked hard to build a strong foundation. But in its present form, the house has no roof, walls, windows or doors. Possibly, there are leaks in the plumbing and the wiring doesn’t work all that well.

That is the analogy Brad McLane with Alabama Rivers Alliance used recently concerning the proposed water allocation agreement between Alabama and Georgia. McLane shared his comments during a water negotiations summit held at the Senior Activity Center in Gadsden recently. The event was sponsored by the Tri-State Conservation Commission, which includes more than 40 environmental groups.

The Tri-State Conservation Commission is spreading the word that they are concerned about the preservation and maintenance of the Coosa River, Weiss Lake, and other lakes downstream are getting the word out to Governor Don Siegelman that they want a better water compact agreement with Georgia.

One of the main concerns of the organization is the need to maintain adequate minimum flows on the Coosa river during drought conditions at the Alabama/Georgia State Line, as well as interbasin transfer limits on the Coosa and Tallapoosa River basins. As director of the Alabama Rivers Alli-ance, McLane says he wants more people to get involved in the negotiations. He also wants voters to vote for people who are running for office that support the quality and quantity of Alabama`s waterways.

The Tri-State Coalition, Alaba-ma Rivers Alliance, McLane said, feels the proposed minimum flow rate of 1,200 cubic feet per second at Mayo`s Bar near Rome is not enough. The Coalition wants Governor Don Siegelman to make sure the protection of the rivers and lakes in Alabama are a top priority.

Metro Atlanta has asked to pull water from the Coosa River and other rivers in order to meet its growing water needs. This would have an impact on Weiss Lake and the Coosa River. The deadline for an agreement between Georgia and Alabama is January 15th.

McLane feels the agreement is “fatally flawed,” but should be modified and not scrapped.

“We want guaranteed minimum flows on the Coosa River,” said McLane. “And Weiss Lake and Neely Henry need even higher flows to flush them out.”

Flows into Alabama are measured by a gauge in Rome, Ga. The current proposal requires Georgia to pass a minimum of 1,800 cubic feet per second (about 1.16 billion gallons a day) past the gauge during normal water levels and 1,200 CFAs during low water levels.

During periods of drought, the agreement proposes, Georgia would be required to pass only 240 cfs at each of the dams and not have to pass any minimum amount of water into Alabama. Data has historically shown that average flow at Rome has been about 6,600 cfs.

Trey Glenn and Tom Littlepage with the Alabama Office of Water Resources disagree that the agreement is “fatally flawed.”

“We feel like we have a strong foundation,” said Glenn. “There’s a lot of good things in this agreement. We’re looking at what the consequences would be without an agreement.”

“On average, there has historically been 6,600 cubic feet per second flowing past Mayo’s Bar,” said Glenn. “Historically, to date, there is absolutely no minimum flow for Mayo’s Bar. The Core does not operate the reservoirs for a flow requirement at Mayo’s Bar. That’s one thing we think there should be. We want to make sure that the to make sure that the flow, at no time, drops below the 1,800 CFS. That does not mean the average flow will not drop below that. If the reservoirs drop to another level, there’s a minimum flow of 1,200 cfs, a level that is consistent with the lowest level that we’ve seen historically out of those reservoirs. There is a drought plan provision in there that says if they drop to even a lower level, the Core of Engineers will be required to release a minimum flow out of each project and the inflow below those projects above Mayo’s Bar will be protected. If history repeats itself, we expect to see a bare minimum of 900 to 1,000 on any given day. We are actively looking at that to make sure that is adequate protection. If it’s not, we’re willing to change it.”

Ray Kelley of Cedar Bluff has been dealing with water concerns for almost 30 years now. He expressed his views during the recent water summit.

“I’ve been involved in trying to clean up the Coosa and all since 1963,” said Kelley. “We had a hearing in Rome in federal court in 1963. I’ve been involved with the Alabama WaterWatch program since 1992. If the flow at Mayo’s Lock and Dam stays at 1250 for a month in the summertime, when we had 95 to 100 degree weather, we will have a cesspool in Cherokee County and Gadsden is going to get cut off from the cesspool. We’ve got to have 1800 at Mayo’s Lock and Dam to maintain the lake in the summertime.”

David Moore, president, Weiss Lake Improvement Association, said any impact on Weiss Lake will cause a chain reaction, affecting the Coosa River and lakes and tributaries downstream.

“Millions of dollars have been spent on these negotiations,” said Moore. “To me, it seems as though Georgia has been writing it and Alabama says that’s okay. Well it is time to fix it or kill it, one of the two. If we can’t fix it or kill it, it’s time to get some people in our governor’s office who are going to stand up and fight for our rights, not just for our water, but to stand up for the truth.”

“We know there are pieces of this that have to be tweaked, that have to be looked at that have to be solidified from an interpretation standpoint or from a true drafting standpoint,” said Glenn. “ And we’re committed to doing that. And that is why we do not have a signed deal today.