Atlanta, GA – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley says he's ready to meet with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to try and find an end to a 20-year legal battle over water rights in both states.
A spokesman for Deal, Brian Robinson, says that Deal shares the Alabama governor's desire to reach an agreement on water.
Robinson said the Alabama governor's statement that he is anxious to jump-start talks has been well received.
However, Deal's plans for new reservoir development for Georgia remain contentious. Bentley has said that if Georgia continues taking water from the federal reservoirs - and takes more from new reservoirs - it will worsen conditions for downstream communities.
Georgia, Alabama and Florida have been in a legal battle over the region's water rights for the past two decades.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)