Where Will We Draw the Line?

I recently heard State Rep. David Schafer here in Cherokee County talking about the Tennessee River and Georgia.
I remembered hearing something about it last year, but didn’t pay it a lot of attention.
Apparently, the issue may again be raised in this upcoming legislative session.

Here’s the gist- so far as I can see it:

In 1796, the US Congress set the boundary between the two states at the 35th parallel, but the surveyors hired by the two states to set the markers apparently had bad equipment and even worse tables. According to one record, one of the Surveyors hired by Georgia begged the Governor to upgrade his equipment. You might say that it is effectively Georgia’s own fault that the boundary line was set almost a mile south of the 35th parallel, this blocking Georgia’s access to the Tennessee River and its waters. 

For what it’s worth, Georgia never ratified this demarcation. They have tried to correct this boundary in the 1880’s, 1940’s and again in the 1970’s. Tennessee did ratify this border (wouldn’t you?) and has pretty much laughed at any Georgia effort to change- er- correct the boundary issue.

Even under the current boundary marks, the Tennessee River watershed extends deep into Georgia. In fact, Georgia has more land pushing water into the Tennessee River than it does into Lake Lanier, the main source for all of Atlanta’s drinking water.

“The resolution before you does not move our boundary,” said Shafer when he introduced the bill last year, “It does not need to be moved. If you open the Georgia code you will see that Georgia law to this day defines our northern border as the 35th Parallel.” 

If Georgia manages to lay claim to even a portion of this water, pipelines and a water treatment plant could be delivering water to Atlanta. But not without approval by the TVA.

It seems this may not be the immediate answer to Georgia’s water needs, but it sure is an interesting one…