Ga. water negotiatior optimistic about deal

ATLANTA - Georgia's chief water negotiator says he's ``guardedly optimistic'' that Georgia and Alabama can reach a water deal by the end of the year.

Georgia Power President Michael Garrett was chosen by Gov. Sonny Perdue to help broker a deal.

He says Thursday he hopes the two states can hammer out a deal so Georgia can then focus on resolving a separate water fight with Florida over the Chattahoochee River.

The three states have been locked in a legal battle over federal water rights for nearly two decades. It escalated in July after a federal judge ruled Georgia had little legal rights to Atlanta's main water supply.

Meanwhile, the water wars aren't on the agenda when the Southern Governors' Association meets this weekend in Williamsburg, Va.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley plans to attend the meeting. But he says there are no plans for him to get together with the governors of Georgia and Florida to discuss litigation between the states over water use.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/8/222611