The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's award goes to the US Army Corps of Engineers. They get the award for losing 22 billion gallons of water. Yes you heard that right, BILLIONS.

ATLANTA (AP) — Worried that a drought could be looming, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said Tuesday the state will sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for draining excessive amounts of water from the state's reservoirs.

Water from Georgia is being sent downstream to Florida to protect endangered sturgeon and mussels. Perdue said the state would seek a temporary restraining order Wednesday to limit the amount of water the Corps could take from lakes along the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River system.

The Corps acknowledged over the weekend that a faulty gauge at Lake Lanier had allowed 22 billion gallons of water to be released by mistake. Carol Couch, director of Georgia's Environmental Protection Division, said the amount of water mistakenly drained would have been enough to support the city of Atlanta for 118 days.

"It is the Corps' responsibility to properly manage the basin and they have failed in their duty," Perdue said. He said talks with the Corps had been fruitless.

Governor, talking to government bureaucracy usually is. Blunders like this have to make South Floridians wary about Lake Okeechobee during a major storm. Thousands died because of flooding in 1928 during and after a hurricane. Will the Corps perform adequately or will we have another New Orleans fiasco?

For massive bureaucratic bungling, the Army Corps of Engineers is today's Knucklehead of the day.

Hat tip- Paul at Wizbang
Open Post- Jo's Cafe, Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, Cao's Blog, Adam's Blog,
Cross posted to Bullwinkle Blog