	Balancing Storage and In-Stream Flow Tradeoffs

Recent drought in the Southeast has intensified a tri-state water conflict involving Alabama, Florida, and Georgia over water allocation and management in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river basin (see Figure 1 ). Management of the current drought may shape long-term ACF management, set precedents for future federal drought responses, and affect the role of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in water resources management. A central issue for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is how to manage its reservoirs to meet municipal and industrial (M&I) water needs equitably in the upper and lower basin, while complying with federal law (e.g., ESA) and minimizing harm to river and bay ecosystems. Predictions for a continued drought have Georgia's upper basin municipal and industrial users concerned about depletion of their principal (and, in some cases, their only) water supply—Lake Lanier—which is slow to refill because of the limited drainage area feeding into it. Lower basin interests (including those in southwest Georgia) are concerned about current and future river flows to meet their municipal, electricity, and ecosystem needs. The fifth section briefly discusses legislation in the 110 th Congress related to the ACF and water supply and management issues in the Southeast. Lake Lanier's drawdown escalated the conflict among the three states. Without a water allocation agreement or decision to guide distribution of available supply among the states, lower basin stakeholders began questioning the sufficiency of Georgia's municipal, industrial, and agricultural long-term and emergency water conservation and demand management efforts. Upper basin stakeholders questioned the justification for the minimum flow requirements in the Apalachicola River and cited the Corps' operating procedures, which had been adopted in 2006 to protect threatened and endangered species, as significantly increasing the risk of depleting ACF reservoirs by allowing their drawdown and insufficient opportunity for refill. Tri-State Water Conflict

In the 1970s and 1980s, Georgia officials became increasingly concerned with water supply for the Atlanta metro area's growing needs. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Corps adopted the Interim Operations Plan (IOP) for Woodruff Dam in October 2006. Others argue that system storage should be used to support species during dry conditions because the ACF ecosystems and species have been compromised by the cumulative long-term impacts of federal reservoir management and the basin's municipal, industrial, and agricultural water use. Exceptional Drought Operations (November 2007-June 2008): Lower Minimum Flows and More Reservoir Refill

On November 15, 2007, the Corps began operating under an Exceptional Drought Operations (EDO) modification to the IOP. The effects of the lower flows on electricity generation also were raised as a concern and are discussed in detail in Appendix C ; as discussed there, the EDO does not appear to have caused significant immediate harm to electricity generation or grid reliability. Proposed Modified Interim Operations Plan (June 2008 until Water Control Plan Is Revised)

On April 15, 2008, the Corps submitted to FWS a proposal to modify its IOP, thus eliminating the temporary EDO by incorporating elements of the EDO and other changes into a modified IOP (MIOP). Water Control Plan Revision

During the 2007-2008 winter, the Corps began revising its water control manual for the ACF reservoirs. Apalachicola River Ecosystem Restoration—H.R. H.R. H.R. 5587

On March 11, 2008, H.R. The U.S. Supreme Court has not addressed the issues raised by the ACF litigation at this time.
Drought in the Southeast has brought congressional attention to an ongoing interstate conflict among Alabama, Florida, and Georgia over water allocation in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system. Drawdown of Lake Lanier, the uppermost federal reservoir in the ACF basin, in fall 2007 to support minimum flows in the lower basin's Apalachicola River escalated the conflict. The Atlanta metropolitan area's municipal and industrial water users are concerned about drawdown of their principal (in some cases, their only) water supply. They question the justification for the minimum flow requirements. Lower basin stakeholders are concerned about sustaining river flows to meet their municipal, electricity, and ecosystem needs and are questioning the sufficiency of Georgia's municipal, industrial, and agricultural water conservation efforts.
The issue for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is how to manage federal reservoirs to equitably meet upper and lower basin multipurpose water needs, especially during drought. The challenge is complying with federal law (e.g., the Endangered Species Act (ESA)); minimizing harm to the river and Apalachicola Bay species, ecosystems, and oyster industry; and providing flows for hydropower and thermoelectric cooling, while also providing municipal and industrial water supply security. The Corps' challenge has increased as basin water demands have increased (e.g., water supply to support the growing Atlanta metro area, agriculture's increased reliance on irrigation, and ecosystem and species needs), creating conflicts between water in storage and flows for in-stream purposes. Is the ACF a harbinger of conflicts between ESA implementation and other water uses across the nation? Is the ACF a testing ground for both federal river management and resource allocation during drought in multi-state basins with riparian water laws? Legislation in the 110th Congress related to the ACF and southeast water supply issues includes H.R. 135, H.R. 2650, H.R. 3847, H.R. 5587, and S. 2165.
ACF drought management may set a precedent for drought responses on other rivers regulated by federal dams. In November 2007, the Corps began managing the ACF under an Exceptional Drought Operations (EDO) amendment to its previous operations plan (which consisted of a 2006 Interim Operations Plan (IOP) amending a draft 1989 comprehensive plan). The EDO lowered the minimum flow required in the Apalachicola River and allowed for greater reservoir refill before resuming normal operations, thus improving upper basin water supply security. Four species protected by the ESA depend on Apalachicola River flows. The EDO's immediate and long-term species impacts continue as subjects of study and debate. The EDO has not caused significant immediate harm to electricity generation or grid reliability. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) approved the EDO through June 1, 2008. On April 15, the Corps submitted to FWS a modification to the IOP; the Corps proposes that the modification be implemented starting June 1 until a new long-term ACF comprehensive plan is adopted. The Corps began revising its comprehensive plan during the 2007-2008 winter. With the failure of recent efforts by the Administration to broker a tri-state water allocation agreement by March 2008, the revision has gained additional significance for the future of ACF river management.