ATLANTA (AP)- Governor Perdue has dropped legal action against
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Perdue said the recent intervention by the Bush administration limiting how much water can be released from Lake Lanier has made him optimistic the issue can be resolved outside of the courtroom.

The motion for a temporary injunction was filed October 19 in the Middle District of Georgia. A hearing had been scheduled for later this month.

Perdue said the state could renew its legal fight if the cooperation again fails in Georgia's water battle with Florida and Alabama.

Perdue's step back comes after a deal brokered in Washington in
which the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to hold back more water in
Georgia lakes as the governors in the three drought-stricken states
work toward a water-sharing agreement. Interior Secretary Dirk
Kempthorne and other administration met with the three governors.

The federal Fish and Wildlife Service must approve the change, which affects several species of endangered mussels and sturgeon
downstream in Florida. But they have agreed to consider the
recommendation by November 15.

Perdue has criticized the federal government for continuing what he calls excessive water releases from reservoirs such as Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water supply, even as the drought has shrunk it to record lows.

But neighboring states and environmentalists say Georgia's failure to plan for its growth has contributed to the problem.