The deadline is today for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to meet Governor Sonny Perdue’s demand to slow the flow of water from Lake Lanier. Not meeting the demand could mean a lawsuit from the state. However, Corps officials last week gave indication that they might release more water from Lanier’s Buford Dam to supply the needs of Alabama and Florida. Georgia’s congressional delegation yesterday proposed legislation that would suspend regulations of the Endangered Species Act during stretches of extreme drought. Senator Saxby Chambliss said recently that the state’s drinking water is being restricted to "protect a handful of mussels and sturgeon".
