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Bajagua would pay for the construction costs, estimated between $150 million and $200 million, then make its profit through the plant's operation. Though the cost would be shouldered by U. S. taxpayers, the price tag has never been divulged. Benedetto, the spokesman for Landa, said the developer is focused on Bajagua, not Nevagua. Congress is currently awaiting a Government Accountability Office report on the Bajagua project that could influence whether it moves forward or gets killed. GEORGIA BLOCKED FROM INCREASING RESERVOIR RIGHTS - A federal court has ruled that Metropolitan Atlanta cannot increase its draw of water from Lake Lanier, a ruling viewed as a major victory for Alabama and Florida, which have been quarreling with Georgia over the reservoir's water for years. Alabama and Florida immediately declared a major victory in the 18-year, tri-state water war, with Alabama Gov. Bob Riley calling it'one of the most important' legal decisions in his state's history. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit comes at a critical juncture, with the three states rushing toward a Feb. 15 deadline to reach along-term, water-sharing agreement. Observers say it gives Alabama and Florida leverage in the negotiations and belies metro Atlanta's assumption that it can count on Lanier to continue fueling its growth. Water fi-om Lanier, the largest federal reservoir on the Chattahoochee River, forms Georgia and Alabama's southern border and winds up in Gulf of Mexico. Lanier is the main water source for more than three million metro Atlantans. But it also supports multiple downstream users, ti-om a nuclear power plant near Dothan, Ala., to oystetYnen in Florida's Apalachicola Bay. WATER SEARCH YIELDS RESULTS -Federal hydrologists announced the discovery of an aquifer far beneath Balboa Park that San Diego officials may tap to irrigate nearby flowers and lawns. Fueled by concerns about the region's water inventory, the U. S. Geological Survey and three public water agencies are scouting for groundwater -particularly in areas that have been overlooked. San Diego has very few sources of groundwater, which is a serious problem when water supplies are as tight as they are this year. Hydrologists have spent the past few weeks drilling a monitoring well at Balboa Park near the golf course at Pershing Drive and 26th Street. They don't expect the aquifer there, or others in the county, to substantially reduce the region's reliance on the Colorado and Sacramento river systems. But even small sources of water have become increasingly significant as prices for imported water rise and factors such as drought make out-of-town supplies less reliable. How much water could be pumped from the Balboa Park site and that water's salinity won't be known for a few months. Hydrologists must first sink five giant straws into the 1,500-foot-deep hole and test the water. If the salt content is too high, the water would have to be treated before it could be used for irrigation. Groundwater accounts for about 2 percent of the county's water supply, according to the San Diego County Water Authority. The agency wants to triple the use of local groundwater by 2020. Several of its member water districts, including San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority, are contributing to that goal. ~9~