Task force: 2012 too soon for new water sources

ATLANTA - There are plenty of ways that Georgia can replace water from Lake Lanier if a federal judge turns off the tap for metro Atlanta.

But most options are pricey. And none would provide water quickly enough to meet a judge's 2012 deadline.

A new analysis from a task force created by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue found it would take at least eight years to bring new reservoirs online. And conservation measures alone won't make up for 280 million gallons a day Atlanta will lose if its supply from Lake Lanier dries up.

The findings place new pressure for Georgia to broker a deal with neighboring Florida and Alabama. In July a federal judge found Georgia had few rights to Lake Lanier. He gave them until 2012 to work out their differences.