by Matthew Bigg, Reuters
Published October 30, 2007
http://www.enn.com/climate/article/24166 
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LAKE LANIER, Georgia (Reuters) - A large, man-made lake in north Georgia is at the center of a political storm over how to distribute water resources between three states in the face of the region's worst drought in decades.
Lake Lanier stands near the head of a watershed that feeds the booming city of Atlanta about 45 miles to the south, leading to accusations that the city is consuming more than its fair share of water.
Also relying on the lake are other towns, industries and power plants in parts of Georgia, Alabama and Florida before the water drains south into the Gulf of Mexico.
More than a year of low rainfall has reduced the lake's water level by about 14 feet from its seasonal norm and the situation is worse in lakes farther south, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Atlanta has had 23.5 inches of rain this year compared to 39.1 inches in a normal year.
Experts dismiss as alarmist headlines predicting that Lanier could run dry in 90 days but the drought has reignited two-decade-old tensions over access to water.
While it seems our project focuses on international cases of environmental conflict, it may be worthwhile to follow a few cases here in the United States. This could become interesting as we look more deeply at the role of environmental legislation and institutions in the prevention of violent conflict over resources. Are there lessons in how these institutions developed? Are they translatable to the developing world? Is this just a conversation about democracy, or are there cases where other forms of government have been just as effective in managing resources? Could someone recommend a few comparative studies that tackle these kinds of questions?