WASHINGTON - Georgia asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to overturn a February ruling that said the state needs congressional approval to use more water from Lake Lanier to supply the fast-growing Atlanta area.
Lanier, which provides most of Atlanta's water, is at the heart of a nearly two-decade water feud between Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
To meet growing needs over the coming decades, Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed in 2003 to allow the state's withdrawals to jump from about 13 percent of the lake's capacity to about 22 percent.
Florida and Alabama contested the agreement, arguing that the lake was initially built for hydropower and that providing water to Georgia was not an authorized use.
A federal district court sided with Georgia.
