By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – The Army Corps of Engineers said the government has not illegally withheld water from a Georgia reservoir that is sought by drought-stricken Alabama, despite claims by Gov. Bob Riley.
A Corps spokesman Wednesday said a formal response would be sent to the governor ''fairly soon.''
Riley contends the Corps has illegally withheld an estimated 18 billion gallons of water that should have been released from Georgia's Allatoona Lake.
Riley, a former congressman, has asked Army Secretary Pete Geren in a letter to order the Corps to release the water.
While promising a response from Geren, Rob Holland, a spokesman for the Corps' office in Atlanta, denied that water has been withheld illegally and said there are other ''stakeholders'' to consider.
In a letter to Geren on Monday, Riley said the Corps is not following its own reservoir operation manual for Lake Allatoona.
Water from the lake flows into the state in the Coosa River, and it affects the levels of reservoirs, lakes and rivers in eastern and south-central Alabama.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)