Joint State Savannah River Basin Caucus

A historic moment. That is how Wednesday’s Joint State Savannah River Basin Caucus Summit at Big Oaks Recreation Center in Hartwell is being described. State, federal and local leaders came together to discuss how better to manage the resources of the Savannah River Basin. Also present for the summit were Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. They were on hand to witness the signing of an inter-governmental agreement to pay for a study of how the Savannah River waters are managed. Governor Haley praised the summit and the efforts of state lawmakers to work together. She said while South Carolina may be in competition with Georgia in some areas, the two states must work together when it comes to saving the resources of the Savannah River.  “When you look at the water issues that we are dealing with in both states, the reason why I appreciate ya’ll getting together now is we don’t need to wait until there is a crisis.  What we do need to do is have a business plan always knowing that we are ready for whatever happens to either one of our states and when one state is in need the other state is going to be there.” The study will come in two phases, with the first portion of the study lasting over a year. The second phase will be the full comprehensive study, which will provide data and help make recommendations on future water management.