Feds won't broker three-state water compromise

ATLANTA - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the federal government won't try to broker a solution to a bitter three-state battle over water rights, but he urged Georgia, Alabama and Florida to seek a compromise outside of the courtroom.

Shortly after taking a helicopter tour of north Georgia's reservoirs with Gov. Sonny Perdue, Salazar said the three states have got to come togetgher to figure out a way forward with a compact agreement.

The approach is in contrast to that of previous Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who convened meetings between the three states at the height of a severe drought in the region in late 2007. The governors broke off the negotiations last year after saying they could not resolve the complex battle that began almost 20 years ago.

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