Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue declares state of emergency

By Karyn Chenoweth Oct 20, 2007, 16:21 GMT

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue on Saturday declared the northern region of Georgia in a state of emergency as its water resources dwindled to dangerously low level.

Appearing on CNN, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue says North Georgia's drought sets a state record.

He also sent a letter to President Bush, asking him to declare north Georgia a major disaster area.

"I have declared an emergency in 85 of Georgia's counties due to the threat of water supply in the northern part of our state," Perdue said on the shore of receding Lake Lanier.

"Drought is a natural disaster. We are experiencing the single worst drought in North Georgia's history."

CNN reports that the rainfall in the area is about 15 inches below normal for the year. Lake Lanier, the main water source for the Atlanta area's 5 million residents, is nearing historically low levels.

Perdue said the state would seek an injunction forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the flow of water from the lake.

"The Corps is sending 3.2 billion gallons of water downstream out of Georgia reservoirs every day," Perdue said. "That's enough to fill three-and-a- half Olympic-size swimming pools every minute."

The Corps -- under an agreement reached in the 1980s with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- releases 5,000 feet of water per second from the dam between the manmade lake and the Chattahoochee River.

The released water is used by power plants in Florida and Alabama and helps keep endangered mussels and sturgeon alive.

"What we've learned from this is what a blunt weapon the Endangered Species Act has become, where some obscure bureaucrat in Fish and Wildlife and some obscure judge can decide that mussels are more important than our children and grandchildren," said U.S. Rep. John Linder, R-Georgia, who spoke after Perdue at Saturday's news conference.

CNN reports that Georgia has banned outdoor water use in the region, but Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle warned the lack of drinking water is a situation "we cannot conserve our way out of."

Perdue blasted what he called the "silly rules" governing the water situation, noting that even if the state got replenishing rains, it could not by law conserve those and must release the water to run downstream.

"We are also mired in a frustrating manmade disaster of federal bureaucracy," Perdue said. "The actions of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Services are downright dangerous, and Georgia cannot stand for this negligence."