Water task force discusses options to ensure metro Atlanta supply

By Dan Chapman

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Gov. Sonny Perdue unveiled his latest plan Wednesday to ensure metro Atlanta will have enough water for decades to come.
Perdue's water "contingencies" task force, headed by Coca-Cola Enterprises CEO John Brock, met at the Governor's Mansion to discuss conservation and water-storage measures. Possibilities: new reservoirs, empty quarries, retrofitted toilets and tapping the Ocmulgee, Oconee, Savannah and Yellow rivers.
Brock will report back to Perdue in December, in time for the governor to seek legislative remedies to the water crisis.
A federal judge ruled in July that Atlanta illegally taps Lake Lanier, the region's main water source. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said he'll drastically reduce Atlanta's dependence upon Lanier unless a water-sharing deal can be worked out with Alabama and Florida.
Perdue is also pursuing separate legal, congressional and negotiated strategies.