Progress is coming, slowly but surely, with a coalition forming between South Carolina and Georgia groups with an interest in access to the river that forms the border between the states.
Beaufort County's economy depends on long-term access to clean water from the Savannah River, so the stakes before the coalition are very personal here.
The Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority draws an average of 15 million gallons per day from the river to serve more than 120,000 residential and 26,000 commercial customers.
That's why a two-state compact to nail down long-term uses of the river is important. State Sen. Scott Richardson, R-Hilton Head Island, and Gov. Mark Sanford deserve credit for pushing the plan forward. A governor's task force on the quality of life, and another committee that reviewed water laws, have underscored the importance of the compact. Another compact also is needed with the state of North Carolina.
There will be nothing easy about reaching agreements on the use of the life blood to so many communities and industries on both sides of the Savannah River. Perhaps future state legislators, future governors and future members of Congress will have to finish the task. Voters always should make it a campaign issue.
Sanford has shown one of the important aspects for success. He has reached out to his counterpart in Georgia, fellow Republican first-term governor Sonny Perdue. It will take a lot of good will, leadership and statesmanship to pull off the compact without getting bogged down in endless court battles.
At the same time, South Carolina needs astute leadership to stand up for the needs of the citizens. One fear is that the overwhelming development of the Atlanta area, which now has four of the nation's top 10 counties in housing growth, will someday pull water from the Savannah River like a child draining a Coke through a straw.
Georgia also uses the vast majority of the allowable treated wastewater disposal in the Savannah River. And Georgia's thirst for underground water supplies has prompted South Carolina, particularly this community, to depend more heavily on surface water.
The bottom line is that both states must live together on the river, and the best way to make good neighbors is to specifically and legally establish limits.
With the new two-state coalition forming, and with fact-gathering under way, that process is gaining momentum. The sooner a compact can be hammered out, the better it will be for this community, which gets its Savannah River water near the end of the pipeline.