The co-chair of the Southeast Water Alliance, Jerry Sailors, says some Alabama cities began taking conservation measures as early as March.

Georgia officials delayed enacting drought restrictions until September.

Alexander City Mayor Barbara Young says maybe they could have prayed a little more.

Young joined more than a dozen officials from Alabama cities, counties and water systems at a Statehouse news conference today. The officials were responding to recent comments by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Perdue said Atlanta took significant steps to prepare for the drought while Alabama did little.

Perdue made his comments as part of the current war of words between the states over whether Georgia should release more water from its reservoirs.

Perdue will join Alabama Governor Bob Riley and Florida's Charlie Crist in Washington Thursday, hoping to hammer out a solution.

The water dispute puts the Bush administration in the middle.

If it decides to hold back more water to bolster Georgia's drinking supply, Alabama and Florida may claim the administration is crippling their economies to satisfy uncontrolled growth around Atlanta.

If it continues releasing water downstream to Alabama and Florida, Georgia could argue it is hanging one of the nation's largest cities out to dry.

Making matters worse for President Bush is that all three states have Republican governors whose reputations could rise or fall based on their handling of the crisis.

Leaders from the states are scheduled to meet Thursday to try to hash out a temporary arrangement. Then they'll head to the Interior Department for a meeting with Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who was sent to the region last week by President Bush.

In an interview Tuesday, Kempthorne said the administration has not made any decisions on the dispute, which dates back to the late 1980s.