Governors agree on water meeting in January

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UPDATE: Governors agree on water meeting in January

The governors of Alabama, Florida and Georgia said they made progress today in resolving their differences over water after a meeting today at the Governor’s Mansion.

The three states have been battling in court since 1990 over water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system.

The Corps of Engineers has reduced flow to Florida in response to a drought gripping the region. Seafood workers say the flow reduction is killing oysters throughout Apalachicola Bay.

U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said the governors agreed to send delegations to Washington, D.C. in mid-January to develop a drought proposal that will be submitted Feb. 15 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Kempthorne said he never expected the states to resolve their issues today. And he said the meeting wasn’t a sure thing because of bitter feelings surrounding the issue.

“We did not come in here with the idea we could find a solution today,” he said. “It’s been 18 years.”

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Georgia's prayers have been answered.