Look out TN, Georgia's comin'! (Chattanooga, East Ridge: homes, neighborhood, income)

[pineywoods]

The lawyers are taking it all the way to the bank...where there's money to be made...

(Sorry to all the ethical attorneys out there, but this kind of inanity puts my knickers in a bunch!)

[mbmouse]

Sounds to me like GA kept that bit of info about the boundaries as an "Ace in the hole" if they ever needed it, but never wanted to be responsible for part of Memphis so didn't play it until they needed the water due to their own bad growth planning.
1800's....geesh seems like there would be a statute of limitations on corrections like that... and if there is, I am pretty sure it is up by now cause it sure wouldn't be almost 200 years!

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by alleycat

Well, if Georgia get its way in court, the Native Americans tribes might have a good claim to all of Georgia and Tennessee.

you may have a point!

[gemkeeper]

Most states do have a time limitation on property rights, MB, at least concerning property between two landowners. It may very well not be the case with states.

But, stop and think about it. This is not just a revelation that came to a legislator during the night. This is a 200 year old mistake. There was no reason for Georgia to dig it up before.

In fact, it could have been to their detriment to do so. They would be liable for a lot of acreage considering one mile by ___ miles. They would have been responsible for proper pollution law enforcement on a lot of waterway. And, they very well may have been avoiding a 10 day old fish like Memphis.

Whatever the case is, they have known about this for a long, long time, but it is just now advantageous to settle up.

As I said previously, in GA defense - sort of, they did not single handedly get themselves in a pickle with their water supply. Even considering the drought, had it not been for the Corps of Engineers draining the lakes in GA to preserve the endangered FL mussels there may have been no water emergency in GA.

Out of control Atlanta growth, a very inadequate infrastructure with increased demand on GA's water supply, a long spring and summer of drought and the Daffy Duck misguided actions by the Army Corps of Engineers all contributed to this dilemma.

Is GA justified in now trying to rectify the boundary lines? I say absolutely not. What an embarrassment they lay on the shoulders of their citizens by this tacky maneuver. It's time for them to wipe the dirt off of their skinned knees and fix their problem for themselves instead of crying that somebody playing "Keep-away"!

[Grizzlybear34]

What Gem said...

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Tennesseans say Georgia all wet

[beachbyrd]

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Cartoons | Editorial Cartoons

Actually there is a really good editorial in the TFP today that really lays it all out well, but I cannot find a link online...If I find, I will post it.

[williboy]

What else would you expect? These people are from Georgia.

[JEANNE61]

OK GEM . . .who's responsible then, if the Corp of Engineers are really the ones at fault here?. .

seems Ga. is being blamed .. how can a state stop people from moving into one of their cities ??? (you blamed the influx of people moving into Atlanta)

and what about the Drought /?/ is that Ga's fault also ???

i'm not being sarcastic .. i just wonder why the state of Ga is being blamed for many things that are really out of its control .. .
i agree with Kim ..it certainly would have been more 'neighborly' to 'ask' ..

and as for 'accepting it for 200 yrs ' . well, there's an awful lot of that going around. . .
there are 'laws ' on the books that should have been thrown out in the early 1900's and people just tend to forget about them till they can 'use ' them to their favor .

obviously , this is what Ga. is doing now .. but really, to be fair .. what other choices do they have at this point ??/
i wonder what the people on this tenn forum would say if positions were reversed ... ?????

just my humble opinion .

jeanne61

[gemkeeper]

Jeanne61, I think you have misunderstood me.

I don't think there is any blame to be passed out here. The SE suffered a severe drought this past year, Atlanta is growing by leaps and bounds, Atlanta cannot keep pace with its infrastructure to ward off population growth problems, and the Army Corps of Engineers was in charge of emptying the lake reserves in GA by millions of gallons more than was necessary to preserve the endangered mussels.

The only gripe I have with GA legislators (2, I think) is that now suddenly they want to redraw the state line to the correct parallel so that they can have the right to take water from the Tennessee River.

That is dirty pool (not meant to be a pun, but funny) if you ask me. Of course, the thing to do is to go to TN, lay out the situation and ask if TN can help out, not just GA, FL and Alabama are recipients of GA water supply, and work something equitable out.

But, to try to take a strip of land that they didn't give two hoots about until now is just bully politics, I feel.

Diplomacy is always the best way. Don't make enemies out of your neighbors!!

You've heard it said that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Well, Ga should put away the vinegar and try a little honey.

Atlanta did nothing wrong as far as I know - just growth.
Tennessee certainly did nothing wrong - just cared for the Tennessee River all of these years.
The Corps of Engineers may not have done anything wrong - they just miscalculated how much water to send into the Gulf and failed to stop the drainage once GA, AL, and FL protested and brought the facts to light. Poor management for the Corps.

There are a lot of options open to GA right now. Don't strongarm TN; sweet talk them a bit.

Continue with strict water restrictions (many muncipalities here have eased up on their restrictions since we have had some rain over the last month or so).

Work out some relationship with the AC of Eng. to be sure that what they "think" they need to take from the water supplies is justified and an actual figure.

I look across the street from my house and see Lake Lanier. It was down pathetically in the fall - scary, actually. Now, I can see the levels coming up by many feet every week that we have heavy rains. GA has to take care of this replenishment and proceed into spring and summer with caution.

It we continue to have these steady storms over the next 2 months, I can see the situation rectify itself. Why start a lengthy and tremendously expensive - to the tax payer - lawsuit to force TN into giving GA a strip of land for water rights? It just isn't neighborly.

But, I blame no one. It's a problem; now, let's fix it together and play nice. Simple as that.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by Grizzlybear34

What Gem said...

Chattanooga Times Free Press | Tennesseans say Georgia all wet

Thanks, Grizzly. That article supports what I was saying about "adverse possession". If one state has used the property even knowing that it belonged to another state, and the rightful owner did not object for the past (usually 20 yrs. by law) 190 yrs., then the original owner - by law - has given up all rights to that land.

The original owner can't come back once gold has been discovered and want the land back. It doesn't work that way.

If you had an old pewter platter that you didn't really want or need so you gave it to your friend, Clara as a little gift. You are nice and you don't have to fool around with that platter anymore!

Clara, after several years of owning the platter takes it to an appraiser and finds out it has a P.Revere stamped on the underside! A pewter platter made by smithy Paul Revere! What a treasure. What a nice gift Clara received from her friend. Friend can't go to Clara and demand the platter back. It is no longer Friends to have back.