Fla. opposes federal plan to store more water in Georgia

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida says it strongly opposes a federal water sharing plan that will allow more water to be stored in Lake Lanier and elsewhere in Georgia instead of letting it flow into Apalachicola Bay.

The state sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday objecting to the plan, which would let Georgia keep more water during droughts. The federal government is set to finalize its plan June 1.

The state Department of Environmental Protection says the plan will decimate oyster populations, threaten a federally protected species of mussel and make it harder for sturgeon to spawn in the Apalachicola River.