By Associated Press
Atlanta, GA – Federal officials are expected to announce Friday whether the government will reduce the flow of water from a north Georgia reservoir at the center of a three-state water fight.
The verdict on whether federally protected mussels can live with less of the water that flows from Lake Lanier could allow drought-stricken Georgia to keep more of the water in the drying lake - Atlanta's main water source.
Hanging in the balance are billions of gallons of water released downstream every day by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages regional water resources.
Florida and Alabama have balked at Georgia's effort to keep more water, arguing that its demands are unreasonable and that reducing the flows downstream could cripple their economies.
The three states have been locked in a legal battle over water rights since the early 1990s.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)