ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- Federal biologists said Friday they had signed off on a plan aimed at providing relief to the drought-parched Southeast , under which more water will be retained in Georgia instead of being released into Florida . The U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service expedited its study of an interim drought plan submitted two weeks ago by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , and concluded that freshwater mussels and sturgeon -- kept alive by water from Georgia 's Chattahoochee watershed under federal law -- will not be placed in jeopardy under the plan . However , there will be some effects , and some members of the species probably will die , Sam Hamilton , Southeast regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service , told reporters . Under the plan , the amount of water released from the Jim Woodruff Dam in Chattahoochee , Florida , will be gradually decreased . That process had already begun Friday , said Brig . Gen. Joseph Schroedel , South Atlantic Division commander for the Corps of Engineers . A similar plan will be put into effect on the Alabama River , at a point south of Montgomery , Alabama , officials said . Last month , Georgia Gov . Sonny Perdue declared a water supply emergency in north Georgia , and asked a court to require the Corps of Engineers to restrict water flows from Lake Lanier -- the main source of Atlanta 's water -- and other reservoirs . He blasted what he said were `` silly rules , '' noting that even if Georgia gets rain , it can not conserve water because it must release 3.2 billion gallons a day downstream . Alabama , Georgia and Florida have been wrangling over water usage from two river basins -- the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa ( ACT ) and the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint ( ACF ) -- for years . Meanwhile , the population of metropolitan Atlanta has doubled to more than 5 million since 1980 . Lake Lanier is at the headwaters of the ACF system , so cutting the flow of water from the Woodruff Dam will mean less water will need to be released from Lake Lanier . See why the three states are struggling over the water » . Rainfall in north Georgia , including the Atlanta metropolitan area , is more than a foot below normal levels for this time of year , following a series of drier-than-normal years . Georgia has imposed a mandatory ban on outdoor water use by homeowners in the region . Two weeks ago , Perdue met with federal officials , Alabama Gov . Bob Riley and Florida Gov . Charlie Crist to discuss a drought plan , and the plan approved Friday by the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service was announced . In light of the negotiations , Perdue has dropped his lawsuit against the corps . Florida 's governor has voiced some concerns about the recommendations from the November 1 meeting . Jim Connaughton , chairman of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality , told reporters Friday that negotiations continue to work through some of the issues facing Florida , but some concerns , `` at least with respect to the near term , '' have been addressed . Asked whether he thinks Crist would sue over the matter , Connaughton said governors of the three states have committed to finding a solution for future years if the drought persists . The governors will meet December 11 and 12 in Tallahassee , Florida , to continue negotiations , U.S . Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said Friday . `` We 're in an extreme situation ... but you see , at this point , some two weeks after sitting down and going through a number of these things , some real progress has been made . '' The plan also provides for increasing water storage , officials said . `` If the corps does not hold back some water now , and if extreme drought conditions continue , it is possible there may not be enough water in storage next summer to meet the needs of users , '' the corps said in a statement . In signing off on the drought plan , the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service only examined possible effects on species listed on the federal endangered list , Hamilton said , so the revised plan 's effect on oysters , shrimp and other species in Florida 's Apalachicola Bay is unknown , although it will be studied . Connaughton , however , noted that the plan is only temporary , until the Southeast receives some much-needed rain . See which parts of U.S. face worst drought » . Crist , for his part , said in a written statement Friday that the state `` will continue to focus on the needs of the people who depend on a healthy Apalachicola Bay . '' He said that while he is `` disappointed '' that Georgia 's initial request to reduce releases from Woodruff Dam was extended , the corps has promised Florida it will regularly evaluate the environmental effects on the bay . Schroedel disputed reports that have said Lake Lanier only has a finite number of days left for Atlanta 's water supply , saying the lake has not reached its record low . `` It does n't look that pretty , but there 's still a lot of water there , '' he said . E-mail to a friend .
Fish and Wildlife Service : Plan has limited effect on mussels , sturgeon downstream . Plan gradually cuts amount of water released from dam in Chattahoochee , Florida . Plan is only temporary , until the Southeast gets some much-needed rain . U.S. official : Georgia , Florida , Alabama governors also want long-term solution .