An interbasin transfer occurs when water is permanently removed from one river basin and deposited into another river basin. This often occurs when water from the “donor” basin is used as municipal water and then sent, via pipes, to another river basin to be treated and discharged as wastewater. The result is a net loss of water in one basin and a net gain in the other.

Interbasin transfers (or IBT’s), are problematic because they can leave the donor river with low flows. When a river stays consistently low, it begins to attract ground water to keep a minimum base flow in the river bed, and this can cause nearby wells and ponds to dry up. Sustained low flow also creates problems for recreation and aquatic animals that need a healthy, abundant supply of water to survive. Furthermore, industries that rely on water for production can suffer if it is not consistently available. Conversely, the receiving river has higher flows, thus potentially altering the flood stage and flow dynamics.

In 2009, after years of fighting with neighboring states for water from Lake Lanier, a federal judge ruled that the City of Atlanta had been illegally tapping drinking water from Lake Lanier and they were given until July 17th, 2012 to apply for a legal permit or find an alternative source. Recommendations made by a governor-appointed task force included creating new reservoirs, transferring water from tributaries of the Tennessee River (all along Georgia’s northern border, which includes the Little Tennessee River) and withdrawals from Lakes Burton and Rabun in Northeast Georgia among possible solutions.

In 2007, Rabun County Commissioners purchased the idle Fruit of the Loom factory along the Little Tennessee River in Rabun Gap, Georgia, and successfully converted the wastewater discharge permit from industrial use to both municipal and industrial uses. The new permit will allow the County to begin importing sewage from other areas of the county (including parts that are in the Savannah River Basin) to this plant to be treated and discharged into the Little Tennessee. At that time, it was anticipated that the next step would be to convert the industrial water withdraw permit into a municipal withdraw permit, so that the “excess capacity” of the Little Tennessee could be made available for drinking water in other areas of the county.

The Little Tennessee Watershed Association is especially concerned that with Atlanta’s deadline fast approaching, it would be appealing to the Rabun County Commissioners to sell this water out of county. However, through the efforts of LTWA and many other partners in Rabun County, the Rabun County Board of Commissioners have decided to take a stand against unwanted water grabs from Atlanta. On February 22nd, 2011, they unanimously voted to approve a resolution that urges the Georgia General Assembly to pass enforceable interbasin transfer regulations. This action was immediately reciprocated by both the Town of Franklin and Macon County Commissioners, who passed a resolution in support of Rabun’s actions. This is a big step forward and the result of many years of work to educate the citizens all over our watershed. We applaud each of these boards for taking the issue of IBT’s so seriously and for taking action to protect our water.

However, the work is not yet done. In order to establish lasting protection for the Little Tennessee and to open the lines of communication to prevent future multistate water wars from beginning, the Little Tennessee Watershed Association supports the idea of the creation of a “Little Tennessee River Advisory Commission”. This Commission is designed to bring basin stakeholders from industry, agriculture, non-profits, tribal entities and local governments together periodically to review proposals and make recommendations when issues around water quality or quantity in the Little Tennessee arise, but it would have no authority to make rules or regulations. For the Little Tennessee River Advisory Commission to be established, all three states (GA, FL and TN) need to pass legislation creating the entity. We continue to work diligently toward this goal and to keep track of new developments as Atlanta approaches its July 2012 deadline.