LAWRENCEVILLE | State takes next step toward building water supply | News

ATLANTA -- Gov. Nathan Deal's administration is hosting three workshops for local officials seeking state funding for water supply projects.

The Republican governor has proposed spending $300 million over four years to pay for projects such as reservoirs that increase Georgia's water supply. The state has been locked in long-running water fued with Alabama and Florida that's headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.

The workshops will be held Feb. 24 in Lawrenceville, March 2 in Macon and March 9 in Tifton.

Deal has said Georgia needs to build its own supplies of water. He wants the funding available to help defray the planning costs for the large infrastructure projects.

Critics say the funding would be better spent on conservation and would cover a small fraction of the cost of building a reservoir.