Several news outlets have highlighted a resolution proposed by Rep. Harry Geisinger of the Georgia General Assembly’s House of Representatives. It would seek to move the Georgia border 1.1 miles further north.
News media on both sides of the border took immediate attention. For example, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution covered it with”Border war with Tennessee gets serious”. Meanwhile the Chattanooga Times Free Press took notice with “Tennesseans won’t volunteer for Georgia citizenship”. Serious issues lay beneath the surface even though many observers dismissed it as a stunt.
It’s About Water
Much of Georgia experienced a drought of historic proportions through much of 2007. Major reservoirs such as Lanier and Allatoona began to empty, imperiling the water needs of a parched Atlanta. Extreme to exceptional drought with little relief will likely last through the Summer of 2008. By nudging the border just a tiny bit further north, Georgia could tap into the reserves of the Tennessee River. This would happen at an artificial lake, the Nickajack Reservoir.
Georgia House Resolution 1206 asserts that the border should run along the 35th parallel. It claims a flawed 1818 survey relied on imprecise technology and marked the border incorrectly. Attempts to rectify the error over the years have failed and the situation remains unresolved, at least according to Georgia. It then calls for boundary commissions to work towards establishing an accurate border both with Tennessee and North Carolina.
Additional Impacts
In addition to water access, this border adjustment would result in population shifts. Georgia would gain 40,000 new residents, with 30,000 coming from Tennessee. More than $2 billion worth of land and property would transfer from Hamilton County, Tennessee alone. This would include entire Chattanooga suburbs.
Logically, Tennessee opposes the resolution and responded rather forcefully in a resolution of their own. They are relying on the doctrine of “adverse possession”. Basically the border has existed this way so long that it’s now the true border despite the 35th parallel. Many Tennesseans consider this an assault on their sovereignty for the sake of what they considered irresponsible, uncontrolled sprawl and growth in Atlanta.
There are greater implications beyond Georgia and Tennessee. As populations continue to grow and as competition for resources increase, the battle over water rights long characteristic of the American West are marching to the East.
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