During a stop in Albany, Governor Sonny Perdue said he is playing “hardball” with Alabama and Florida over water rights to Lake Lanier.

Perdue’s visit to South Georgia is part of the governor’s effort to create a united Georgia front in upcoming legal disputes.

Yet, while Governor Perdue is working for a united front, there are many Georgians up- and downstream from the Chattahoochee River that are concerned their water sources could be tapped for use by Metro Atlanta residents. The river is shared by Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

The governor, and others in his administration, such as Environmental Protection Division head Carol Couch, are trying to ease that concern by linking Atlanta’s water woes to potential problems in the rest of the state.

"We can’t simply isolate the Chattahoochee, and the influence of the Chattahoochee, with it’s impact on the Flint, because both of them form the flows that go into Florida."

A federal judge gave Georgia has three years to gain Congressional approval to use Lake Lanier as a water supply for Metro Atlanta.

During his stop in Albany, Governor Perdue said the state will appeal that court ruling.

Perdue has asked Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Alabama Governor Bob Riley to meet and start new negotiations. No dates have been set.

Riley says his Georgia counterpart is engaging in saber-rattling and pointlessvposturing on the water dispute between three southeastern states. The comments came after Perdue said the state will focus on an 1859 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that puts Georgia's border on the western side of the Chattahoochee River. Perdue said it could require Alabama officials to request water withdrawal permits from Georgia.

The river is shared by Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Riley says Perdue seems to have a different strategy every day, but that doesn't change the fact that Georgia lost the most recent court ruling over water use.

Tags: tri-state water dispute, Georiga Governor Sonny Perdue, Governor Bob Riley