BUFORD, Ga. — Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed new rules Tuesday meant to reduce water use as a bargaining chip to resolve a legal dispute with Alabama and Florida that threatens to choke off much of metropolitan Atlanta’s water supply.
Still, Perdue said he could not guarantee that an agreement between the three states will be struck before he leaves office in early January. A deal is important because a federal judge ruled last year that Atlanta has little right to withdraw drinking water from Lake Lanier, its main water supply.
The judge said he would restrict Atlanta’s withdrawals from the lake to levels last seen in the 1970s, when the city was far smaller, unless political leaders can cut a deal by July 2012. Perdue signed the new legislation on the shore of Lake Lanier, and many of its provisions take effect right at the judge’s deadline for tightening the water flow.
“I wish I could tell you confidently we will have an agreement,” Perdue told reporters. “I can’t do that right now.”
Still, Perdue and other state leaders said they hoped the new conservation rules will send a message that Georgia is serious about conservation to neighboring states that have long complained Atlanta uses more than its fair share.
The wide-ranging conservation measures require new buildings to have high efficiency toilets, shower heads, and faucets. It also limits most outdoor watering between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m., to prevent the loss of millions of gallons to evaporation at midday.
“I think they will be encouraged that we mean business in being good neighbors and sharing this resource,” Perdue said.
Spokesmen for Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
For years, Alabama and Florida have argued that Georgia takes too much water from Lake Lanier, drying up river flows into their states. The issue came to a head when U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson ruled last year that Atlanta has little legal right to withdraw water for the 3 million residents in the metropolitan area.
Georgia is appealing that ruling, although the state has few easy options other than negotiate.
A task force convened by Perdue reported in December that even if Georgia conserves water, builds reservoirs and upgrades its plumbing systems, those actions would not be enough to make up for the potential loss of water from Lake Lanier.
While all sides want to reach an agreement, Perdue said that political attention has been focused elsewhere in other states. Alabama lawmakers have been heavily focused on a gambling debate, while Crist recently left the Republican Party as he campaigns for a Senate seat in Florida.