Politics & Government

Should Georgia-Tennessee Border Be Changed Over Water?

The Georgia General Assembly has passed a resolution that favors a new state line. Share your thoughts.

Remember the water wars in Georgia and the Southeast of a few years ago? Well, they're baaack.

Both houses of the Georgia General Assembly have passed a resolution proposing that the Georgia-Tennessee state line be changed. The reason? According to House Resolution 4, so that Georgia "shall be able to exercise its riparian water rights to the Tennessee River at Nickajack."

The 2013 resolution and the so-called border dispute date way back. According to the resolution, the state line is at the 35th parallel and would have been on the northernmost bank of the Tennessee River at Nickajack.

Find out what's happening in Suwaneefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

However, a flawed 1818 survey "erroneously placed the mark of the 35th parallel approximately one mile south of the actual location of the 35th parallel of north latitude," the resolution says.

"Since that time, numerous resolutions and enactments by the State of Georgia and the State of Tennessee have recognized that there is a problem with this boundary between the states; but, despite these actions by the governments of the State of Georgia and the State of Tennessee, there has been no resolution to this continuing dispute ... ."

Find out what's happening in Suwaneefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The resolution was sponsored in the Senate by David Shafer of Duluth. Suwanee legislators -- Sen. Renee Unterman and Reps. Buzz Brockway and Josh Clark -- voted for the resolution.

The resolution urges the governors and legislatures of the states to settle the dispute. If that does not happen, Georgia legislators say the matter could wind up in court.

-- Do you favor this resolution? Do you think the Georgia-Tennessee state line should be changed? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Suwanee