Drought Threatens Ala. City's Water*

Saturday September 29, 2007 2:31 AM

By BOB JOHNSON

Associated Press Writer

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Officials coping with a severe drought in
eastern Alabama and western Georgia issued sweeping bans Friday on
outdoor watering and scrambled to secure a dwindling supply of drinking
water to more than 50,000 people.

Divers went into Lake Martin looking for ways to increase the depth
around intake pipes that drain water from the massive lake into the
water system for Alexander City, 44 miles northeast of Montgomery on the
Georgia line. Lake Martin is the only source of water for the Alexander
City system.

``The water is so low the pumps are shutting down on us,'' said Eugene
Mahan, superintendent of water treatment for the system, which provides
drinking water to about 50,000 to 60,000 people in east central Alabama,
including to about 15,100 residents of Alexander City.

``This is not just about recreation, it's not about washing cars, this
is drinking water,'' Mayor Barbara Young said. ``We've got to have some
rain.''

The yearlong drought has exposed piers around marinas and pulled the
shoreline far from lakeside homes.

There was no immediate relief in sight. The forecast for most of the
region calls for clear or partly cloudy skies and little or no rain
through the middle of next week.

Georgia's top environmental official issued an outdoor watering ban
covering parts of north and west Georgia, including Atlanta, after
climatologists presented data showing how soaring temperatures and light
rainfall have sunk parts of the state into the driest conditions in decades.

The drought has exacerbated a long-standing feud between Georgia,
Alabama and Florida over how the Army Corps of Engineers manages water
rights. Earlier this month, lawmakers from Alabama and Georgia briefed
Army Secretary Pete Geren on the dispute involving one water basin.

``The times we're facing, the nature of our circumstances, are
unprecedented,'' said Carol Couch, director of Georgia's Environmental
Protection Division.

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Associated Press writer Greg Bluestein in Atlanta contributed to this
report.