Governor declares Ga. drought disaster

ATLANTA, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Gov. Sonny Perdue, standing on the shore of a dwindling lake Saturday, declared a drought disaster in Georgia and asked for a federal disaster declaration.

Perdue held a news conference on the shore of Lake Lanier, the major source of water for the Atlanta area, CNN reported. He said the state is experiencing "the single worst drought in North Georgia's history."

The state declaration covers 85 of Georgia's 159 counties, most of them in the northern part of the state.

The state went to court Friday to seek an order exempting Georgia reservoirs from federal guidelines on release of water. Perdue said the amount of water released from Lake Lanier is twice the amount needed to ensure the survival of mussels in the Apalachicola River in Florida, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

"The actions of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Service are not only irresponsible, they are downright dangerous," Perdue said Saturday. "And I will not stand for this negligence."