As north Georgia enters its third summer of record-setting drought, decision-makers are turning again to reservoirs: damming streams to store more water against future dry spells.

Environmental groups are preparing to fight another battle over the Flint River, one of the state's longest stretches of free-flowing water. With talk of resurrecting plans to dam the river, former President Jimmy Carter will be in Oglethorpe Friday night (June 27) to talk about his role in stopping a dam at Sprewell Bluff while he was governor in the early 1970s. Carter will speak to about 250 paddlers at the end of their week-long Paddle Georgia trip down the Flint.

Georgia State Parks (ENLARGE)

The Flint River as it passes through Sprewell Bluff State Park. This is where approximately 300 people will be paddling during the Paddle Georgia 2008 trip.

• AJC Living Green • Photos: A shallow Lake Lanier can be hazardous DEALING WITH THE DROUGHT: • Can I water? Here are the rules • 10 tips to save water • Map: Heavy demands on our water RELATED: Lake Lanier 2.4 feet fuller, southwest Georgia flooded  Twisters damage Hall County schools, Commerce homes  2 Hall County schools damaged by twisters  Fay is wet but no drought buster  Tornado watch issued for metro Atlanta  • More on coping with the drought

Here's what's happening, on the local, state and federal levels:

LOCAL

Seven reservoirs are in the works in metro Atlanta, including Hickory Log Creek Reservoir in Cherokee County that will also be used by the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority.

STATE

• Earlier this year, the Legislature and Gov. Sonny Perdue created a new state division to build new reservoirs and pumped in $120 million for the budget year that starts July 1.

• The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission has a list of 20 small dams that could be raised to expand reservoirs for additional water storage. One is on the Upper Mulberry River where Gwinnett, Hall, Barrow and Jackson counties meet.

FEDERAL

• U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Grantville) has proposed a $10 million study of the feasibility and environmental impact of building reservoirs on the Flint River.

• U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Gainesville) told the Gainesville Times in March he is drafting legislation to reauthorize federal projects on the Flint, the same ones Congress de-authorized in 1986.

WHY WE LIKE RESERVOIRS

Without Lake Lanier, a 38,000-acre federal reservoir, there would be no Atlanta. On many days, especially during a drought, there's not enough water in the Chattahoochee River to support the population. Thanks to Lanier, and Lake Allatoona, another large federal reservoir on the Etowah River, more than 4 million people can live here.

WHY WE DON'T LIKE RESERVOIRS

Dams forever change the natural flow of rivers and streams. They destroy wetlands, create water quality problems and block native fish and freshwater mussels from historic habitats. Also, due to evaporation, reservoirs result in a net loss of water from the river basin.