Florida's arguments rejected in 'water war' over Apalachicola River, oyster industry
For years, Florida has blamed Georgia’s water use for causing damage to the economically vital oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay.
But a special master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed this week, dealing a major blow to Florida in its legal fight to force Georgia to share more water in a river system that links the two states.
The special master, Senior U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Paul J. Kelly, issued an 81-page report this week that said mismanagement by Florida contributed to the oyster industry’s collapse and that Florida has not adequately shown that Georgia’s water use caused problems in the Franklin County bay and the Apalachicola River.
“Georgia does not contest that the oyster fishery suffered significant harm; rather, it argues that the collapse resulted from Florida’s mismanagement, and insofar as low flows caused the collapse, those low flows were predominantly caused by drought, not Georgia’s consumptive use,” Kelly wrote.
Read more: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2019/12/12/floridas-arguments-rejected-water-war-over-apalachicola-river/4414534002/
