Georgia asks for new border, water from Tennessee River

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

photo Nickajack Cove is seen from Sand Mountain. Some Georgia lawmakers are renewing an attempted to move a bit of the state line north by a little over a mile so Georgia could tap into the Tennessee River.
Arkansas-Florida Live Blog

ATLANTA - Georgia lawmakers are once again asking to redraw its northern border in the hope of getting water from the Tennessee River.

The House of Representatives voted 171-2 today to adopt a resolution seeking a thin strip of land leading to the river.

Georgia lawmakers say a flawed 1818 survey wrongly put the border to the south of the Tennessee River. In the resolution, Georgia offers to accept the current border with the exception of a slice of land allowing for water withdrawals from the river.

Tennessee lawmakers have so far been dismissive of the request.

Georgia is locked in a long-running water dispute with neighboring Alabama and Florida. That dispute has at times threatened metro Atlanta's water supply, forcing officials to search for new water sources.