County Seeks Injunction to Protect Apalachicola River

The county commission hopes the state will seek a federal injunction to stop plans by the Army Corps of Engineers to lower the amount of water flowing into the Apalachicola River. The Corps was given approval to move ahead with their plans on Monday after The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday that less water in the river would likely not harm four federally protected species living in the Apalachicola River. Under the plan, the Corps of Engineers will cut the amount of water flowing into the Apalachicola River while they refill a number of reservoirs on the river system, including Lake Lanier, West Point, and Walter F. George. The Corps says the flows into the Apalachicola river will not drop below 5000 cubic feet per second unless serious drought conditions are in effect, in which case they could decrease water flows to 4500 cubic feet per second. That system could continue for the next 5 years, which some say could be a death sentence for the Apalachicola Bay. County Commissioner Bevin Putnal said the last time water flows were severely cut the intrusion of saltwater species into the bay wreaked havoc on the seafood industry. Congressman Allen Boyd is expected to hold a hearing on the issue, but commissioners say they need something done sooner than that. They are asking the state to seek a federal injunction to stop the project while state and local authorities work to protect the river over the long term.