Southern U.S. gets federal drought relief

ATLANTA, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Federal environmental officials and regional leaders agreed on plans to provide relief for the severe drought conditions in the southeast United States.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friday signed off on plans to divert some water from regional basins to areas in Georgia under emergency water restrictions, CNN reported.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue imposed emergency water regulations last month for northern Georgia and filed a court order requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to restrict the water flow from Georgia's main reservoir, Lake Lanier.

Some environmental experts say Lake Lanier has as little as 66 days of available water as the Southeast is experiencing its worst drought in 100 years, the New York Times.

The plan addresses water shortages in the region.

"If the corps does not hold back some water now, and if extreme drought conditions continue, it is possible there may not be enough water in storage next summer to meet the needs of users," the corps said in a statement.

The plan could impact Florida's shellfish industry that depends on freshwater, but Florida officials told the Times they "recognize this is an emergency and nobody is getting what they want."