Sanford Bishop applauds recommendation on Georgia-Florida water case

Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr said he applauds Special Master Ralph Lancaster, Jr.’s recommendation, issued Tuesday that the U.S. Supreme Court deny Florida’s request for a cap on Georgia’s water usage.

This recommendation derives from a 2013 lawsuit filed by Florida that seeks to limit Georgia’s usage of water from the ACF Basin, which includes the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint rivers. Ralph Lancaster was appointed as a special master by the U.S. Supreme Court to provide a recommendation on the case and found that Florida had failed to show that a consumption cap was necessary.

In a press release, Bishop said, “Florida’s proposed limit on Georgia’s water use is unfounded and would be devastating to Georgia’s agriculture economy. I am pleased by Special Master Lancaster’s recommendation to deny such a cap, and I am hopeful that this recommendation will lead to an imminent conclusion to this dispute.”

The recommendation now goes to the U.S. Supreme Court for further consideration.

This story was originally published February 15, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Sanford Bishop applauds recommendation on Georgia-Florida water case."