Congressman Allen Boyd Tuesday spearheaded an effort amongst the Florida, Alabama and Georgia Congressional Delegations urging the governors from the three states to resume negotiations on a water-sharing agreement regarding the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) System.

During a meeting last week of the three Congressional Delegations, Congressman Boyd recommended that the delegations jointly send a letter to Governors Charlie Crist (R-FL), Sonny Perdue (R-GA) and Bob Riley (R-AL) urging them to meet as soon as possible to resolve the water-sharing disagreement.

The tri-state letter, signed by every member of the three Congressional Delegations, marks the first time in many years that the three delegations have spoken with a unified voice on the water crisis.

In the letter, the Congressional Delegations write that “there must be ongoing discussions and negotiations at the state level” and call on the three governors to “act expeditiously on this matter of critical importance to our three states.”

“The court ruling last July represented a tremendous victory for the state of Florida, and as the judge set forth, it must now be followed up by action from the three states,” said Congressman Boyd. “The letter signed by the members of the three Congressional Delegations is a positive step forward in our efforts to find a resolution to this 20-year water battle, one that benefits all users along the ACF System.”

At issue is how water within the ACF river basin is allocated among the three states. In July, a federal judge upheld the ruling of the Washington, DC Circuit Court that found that congressional approval of the reallocation of storage in Lake Lanier is required.

The judge gave the states three years to reach a water-sharing agreement.