I'm
saving my local newspapers of Thursday, July 31, 2003, espousing the likes of,
"Lakes Will Not Suffer Due To Water Deal", "Water Deal Would be Good for Logan
Martin and Neely Henry Lakes" , etc. for good reason.
The last newspaper I saved was headlined, "I Did
Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman"; for similar
reason.
As I read that vague definition of
"reasonable flow", I remembered that I haven't yet understood what the
definition of "is" is.
The difference is that "reasonable flow"
will eventually define itself in time, absent all vagueness but as hard, cold
fact with which we will have to live and endure.
The local papers' reports of the state's chief
negotiator, Trey Glenn's address to the Logan Martin Lake Protection Association
(LMLPA) concerning lake residents' concerns lauded the negotiator's
soothing assurance but overlooked vague and conflicting statements, to
wit:
"Lake Logan Martin and Neely Henry will not drop due to the
tri-state water compact", followed by,
"It will not drastically alter the lake",
"the reductions (in flow) could be in the 5-9 percent
range",
"Georgia is going to use water" "By 2050, there will be
less water flowing into Alabama because they will be using more of
it".
Does this clear things up for you? Probably doesn't
matter. "Public Comment" will have little effect on the political
compact.
Questions:
Why doesn't the compact address recouping past
excessive water usage by Georgia and "increasing water flow" to
Alabama?
Why has Alabama automatically assumed a defensive posture
relating to a Georgia lawsuit as opposed to aggressively filing a countersuit to
protect an over-utilized river system?
What is the status of the Coosa River in terms of costs versus
benefits to the population and environment? Has the optimal
stage already been reached? Should it be recognized and
respected and not swallowed up by reckless overextension of its
capacity?
Do you get the impression that Alabama river folk are
"getting led around" by our upstream neighbor state while Montgomery joins
their PR campaign?
Is this a water problem? A political problem? Both
flow downhill.