Water pits Georgia against neighbors

ATLANTA, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has said he is in a "fight to the death" with Florida and Alabama over water rights.

In July, a federal judge ruled that Atlanta for years has been improperly using Lake Sidney Lanier north of the city for drinking water. He ruled the Buford Dam, which created the reservoir, has congressional authorization only for navigation, flood control and electrical power generation.

The lake is part of a system that includes the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers. Water eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico after flowing along the Georgia-Alabama border and across the Florida Panhandle.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson gave Atlanta three years to get congressional authorization, The New York Times reports. That would be more likely if the three states involved can come up with an agreement.

Perdue's challenge may have put off the other states. While Perdue, Charlie Crist of Florida and Bob Riley are all Republicans, the water issue has set Crist and Riley against Perdue.

Perdue recently invited his colleagues to negotiations, giving them a list of 40 dates when he would be available, the Times said. Riley and Crist said they would have to get back to him.