Judge to hear Florida-Georgia-Alabama ‘Water Wars’ case today

Case could determine whether metro Atlanta is legally justified to tap Lake Lanier — its primary source of drinking water

The Southeast’s politicians, business leaders and environmentalists will be watching Jacksonville, Fla., today.

From the AJC:

In a Jacksonville courtroom Monday, a federal judge will consider the question: Is metro Atlanta entitled to rely on Lake Lanier as its primary source of drinking water?

Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, appointed to oversee a number of related water lawsuits, will preside over the much-anticipated hearing. Last year, the St. Paul, Minn., judge said the answer to the question over Lake Lanier’s water may make other disagreements in the high-stakes case “obsolete.”

The tri-state battle has been raging for nearly 20 years.