Gov. Sonny Perdue Tuesday ordered public water providers in North Georgia to cut their withdrawals by 10 percent starting Nov. 1.

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Under threat of yet-to-be-determined fines, public water systems in 61 counties will have to make the reduction based on what they used from December 2006 through March 2007 — winter months when demand already was low. The forced reduction will continue indefinitely. Farms are excluded.

"I encourage all Georgians to make their dry lawns and dirty cars a badge of honor," Perdue said in a statement released late Tuesday. "By making individual conservation efforts, along with reasonable solutions from our federal government, we can collectively help to ensure that our water supply is sufficient."

The state imposed similar restrictions during the 1986 drought, the governor's office said.

The water systems will have to squeeze their customers to comply with the new reductions.

Rob Hunter, commissioner of Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management, said he does not foresee a problem achieving the 10 percent reduction, but it will take a stepped-up public information campaign to teach home and business owners how to use less water.

"Our customers are going to need to realize that if we don't conserve water, we will be paying fines, which ultimately come out of the fees they pay," Hunter said. "We're probably pretty close to that number right now. ... We found the public very interested in conserving water right now."

Glenn Page, general manager for the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, said, "Cobb is already a community that has had a lot of success with conservation, and coming down an additional 10 percent will be difficult for our service area without impacting businesses tremendously."

The order applies to the top third of the state already under an outdoor watering ban. An 18-month drought has hammered water supplies, draining lakes and reducing streams to the lowest levels ever recorded.

State officials are predicting the unprecedented drought could leave Lake Lanier at a historic low, jeopardizing metro Atlanta's main drinking water supply as early as January.

With his decision, the governor opted against singling out specific businesses to reduce water usage, such as car washes, instead leaving local water suppliers to determine how to achieve the reduction.

Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Carol Couch, who advised the governor on his decision, said utilities may go directly to big water users to reduce consumption, but the decision is theirs.

"This gives them the flexibility to adapt and make the choices of how to carry out a 10 percent reduction," Couch said.

Barbara Jodoin, the general manager for Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, said she isn't sure how the governor's call for more water limits will affect the club's 18-hole course.

"We're very concerned," Jodoin said. "There's quite a broad brush there for [public water providers] to make independent decisions."

In about a month, the state will evaluate how well the reductions are working and whether additional measures are needed, Couch said.

On Saturday, Perdue signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 85 counties because of the drought. The governor also sent a letter requesting President Bush temporarily exempt the state from the Endangered Species Act to reduce the release of water from Georgia reservoirs.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases billions of gallons of water daily from Lanier downstream to Florida, in part to protect endangered and threatened mussels. Last week, Perdue asked a federal judge to restrict Lanier water flows. A hearing will be Nov. 19 in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville.

But Perdue acknowledged Georgians must use less water, too.

"In this unprecedented drought, we all have to pitch in and find ways to conserve our most precious resource," Perdue said.

"A 10 percent reduction in water use is a first step, and we will continue to evaluate our drought response and encourage additional conservation as needed."

— Staff writers James Salzer, Jeremy Redmon and Matt Kempner contributed to this article.