ATLANTA -- Part of the Southern Harbor Marina on West Point Lake is in Georgia and part of it is in Alabama. The owner would love to see governors from both states realize they’re in the water crisis together.

“The people of Georgia cannot stand for this negligence,” said Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Perdue laid the blame for the current crisis in the Chattahoochee River Basin at the feet of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Their culpability grows every day,” said Perdue.

He accused the Corps of Engineers of dangerous inaction. He is taking his case against those agencies to the White House.

“I cannot imagine there was any contemplation in the Endangered Species Act that animals would take precedent over humans for drinking water. That’s unconscionable and I’m willing to call that question in the highest office in this land to say it ain’t so,” said Perdue.

VIDEO: Perdue Ready For Water Fight

West Point Lake is 13 feet low. People there are asking why it took Atlanta’s crisis to get all the attention. While coverage has focused on Lake Lanier drying up, because it quenches the thirst of a million people in metro Atlanta, West Point Lake and the others downstream have been disasterously low for months. People from Apalachicola to West Point said it looks like an Atlanta problem they’re paying for.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Jeff Dore talked to Perdue Wednesday and said, “We’ve heard from people in this area and down the state saying it’s metro Atlanta’s and the state’s own fault for letting there be an unbridled growth and really not responding to any of that and making a plan until it got to a crisis stage.” Perdue said, “Next question.”

“Are they right,” Dore asked. The governor said, “No.”

Alabama's Governor Defends His State

Across the state line, the governor of Alabama had a lot to say about Georgia’s planning -- or lack of it.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley was eager to talk to Channel 2 Wednesday about all the drought planning his state has done and he didn't hesitate to criticize Georgia. He said he was willing to talk to Perdue about water management, but so far they have agreed to disagree.

"What the people of Georgia need to be asking their elected officials, 'Why haven't you taken the same strong steps as Alabama has,' and maybe we wouldn't even be having this discussion today," said Riley.

VIDEO: Alabama Governor Defends His State

Riley has come under fire for a letter to the president, asking that Georgia's disaster declaration request be denied. Channel 2 asked Riley if he believes Perdue mismanaged Georgia's drought. "I'm saying that the 10 percent reduction that you're implementing now, could've been implemented 90 days ago, 120 days ago, and you might not be having the problem that you have today."

He said Alabama's larger cities did cut back on water usage over the summer and saved billions of gallons of water in other water basins not attached to Georgia's. Riley believes the Army Corps of Engineers assessment -- that they are actually 250 days of water left -- and demands that huge releases of 22,000 gallons per second from Lake Lanier continue.

"If we ever get to the point that any one state thinks that they can operate it to the exclusion or to have negative benefits on other states...don't think it's going to fly," Riley said.