Georgia, Florida and Alabama are in a heated political dispute over water use. Florida wants to protect endangered mussels and the fishing industry while Georgia residents want water to drink. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue’s pleas for emergency drought relief have pitted his state against Florida and Alabama.

As reported by the Palm Beach Post, “coping with a record-setting drought and facing a potential water shortage, Georgia officials have demanded that the Army Corps of Engineers stop releasing so much water from its reservoirs to its neighbors downstream - and have asked President Bush for help.”

Nonetheless, Florida and Alabama have made their presidential pleas, “don’t give in to Georgia’s demands.” Florida Gov. Charlie Crist refuses to compromise on protecting endangered mussels in his state, even though the drought has placed the region in dire straits for humans who need water.

But Alabama Gov. Bob Riley wants to call a truce, so the three-state governors will meet this coming Thursday in Washington D.C. The tri-state water summit will include U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Jim Connaughton, the chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

To read the entire article from the Palm Beach Post, link here:

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