After decades of legal fights, metro Atlanta utilities secure their water supply

After 30 years of legal battles, several cities and counties near Lake Lanier now have contracts guaranteeing them access to water from the lake.

Though they’ve been using the water already, their right to it had been challenged by Florida and Alabama as part of the long-running fight over water between the states. Now, with contracts signed, a major chapter of the so-called Water Wars is over, though some litigation is still ongoing.

The issue for the local water providers was that when Congress authorized the construction of Lake Lanier, it didn’t explicitly say the reservoir could be used for water supply. Georgia’s downstream neighbors, Alabama and Florida, objected to metro Atlanta utilities tapping into it.