In Louisiana, when we think of water problems, we think of flooding. It’s hard to imagine that this state could face water scarcity. But with water wars heating up around the country, water is becoming a precious resource that we may need to defend. This issue was explored by a panel called “Water Wars” at Tulane Law School’s Bound by Water Summit on Environmental Law & Policy.
“Water management is equally critical for places that have too little and too much water,” said Marco Cocito-Monoc, Director of Regional Initiatives at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, who moderated the panel.
Three of the panelists, from Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, discussed how those states have struggled for decades over a shared water source.
“It’s nice to hear about somebody else’s water problems for a change,” said panelist Mark Davis, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy at Tulane Law School.
“What stake do states like Louisiana, that enjoy an abundance of water, have in these debates?” asked Cocito-Monoc.
“What’s happening in these nearby states is our future,” said Davis.
For example, a proposed solution to the water dispute amongst Florida, Georgia and Alabama is to tap into the Tennessee River. But because the Tennessee River feeds the Mississippi River, that would reduce flow to Louisiana. A 1968 report on Texas’s future water needs suggested importing water from the Mississippi. Even Nevada, with its exploding population and extremely dry climate, has its eyes on the Mississippi.
Louisiana has already suffered from unintended but serious consequences of major water diversion projects in faraway states, such as the locks and dams built upriver in the 1950s, which have reduced river sediment to the Mississippi delta by 50 percent.
“There’s a recognition in many parts of the country that they’re driving toward a cliff,” said Davis. “No state is immune. If you don’t know what your hydrogeologic resources and your needs are, then negotiations are very risky for you. If you don’t know what you want, it’s hard to be at the negotiating table but easy to be on the menu.”
The Greater New Orleans Foundation granted $50,000 to the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic as part of its Environmental Fund. The endowed fund’s goal is to encourage ecological, economic, and cultural vitality, resilience, and sustainability through environmentally focused policies, programs, and projects.
