Chattanooga's mayor said sending a truckload of water to Georgia lawmakers in the throes of drought and a declaration offering a "cool wet kiss of friendship" is intended to be humorous.

Mayor Ron Littlefield said he was not concerned that his joking around — proclaiming "Give Our Georgia Friends a Drink Day" and arranging a Wednesday delivery of donated bottled water in Atlanta — might antagonize officials dealing with an extended drought.

"We hope they accept it in the humorous way it is intended," Littlefield said Tuesday.

The mayor said he takes seriously the drought affecting Chattanooga as well as Georgia but he has never taken seriously Georgia officials looking to get access to the Tennessee River.

Littlefield said Georgia officials trying to tap the river "is just not a practical or reasonable solution to their problems."

He said Georgia has conservation options and "for decades Atlanta has discussed the need to build additional reservoirs."

Littlefield's proclamation compares Georgia leaders to "Children of Israel in the desert" and also says "tomorrow they might come for our Jack Daniels or George Dickel," both brands of Tennessee whiskey.

The proclamation also says "it is deemed better to light a candle than curse the darkness, and better to offer a cool, wet kiss of friendship rather than face a hot and angry legislator gone mad from thirst..."

Georgia state Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth, described Littlefield's actions as "posturing."

"The bottled water is a nice gesture, and we will be sure to keep some on ice for the first meeting of the Georgia-Tennessee Boundary Line Commission," said Shafer, a Republican.

"All the posturing aside, appointing boundary commissioners and beginning discussions is far better, all the around, than litigation," he said Tuesday.

Shafer sponsored a legislative resolution that says a flawed 1818 survey mistakenly placed Georgia's northern line just short of the Tennessee River. Georgia lawmakers have urged the governor to establish a commission to look at the border and whether Georgia has any claim to the river.

Littlefield has other reasons to not risk riling up Georgia officials.

Chattanooga has invested $300,000 in a study of a proposed 110-mile high-speed rail system that would run from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Chattanooga.

Littlefield said working with Georgia officials on the train project is in no way related to his water donation or the declaration.

— Shannon McCaffrey in Atlanta contributed to this report.