The prospect of a solution to the water squabble between Alabama, Georgia and Florida appears much further away than the next significant rainfall in the Wiregrass — and forecasters expect little or no rain here in the near future.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, stood outside Farley Nuclear Plant on Tuesday morning and said adequate water flow is important not only for residents’ basic needs, but also for plants such as Farley that provide energy for the area.

In fact, Sessions said if the flow of water down the Chattahoochee River decreases just a little more, Farley could be forced to shut down one or both of its reactors.

“We have to remain in a crisis mode,” Sessions said just days after Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue discussed protecting Atlanta’s long-term water supply by decreasing the amount of water allowed downstream from north Georgia. “We can’t have one state upstream take all the water out of the river.”

Sessions said a Washington Congressional delegation including himself, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Rep. Terry Everett, R-Rehobeth, will be hosting Perdue, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday to discuss the states’ water needs. He hoped it would also jump-start the process toward a solution.

However, Sessions did not indicate a quick fix.

“This has been going on a long time,” Sessions said when talking to reporters after a brief tour of the plant. “Negotiations have broken down.”

Satisfying the three states’ long-term water needs has been an issue for 18 years. Several lawsuits have been filed, including one recently from the State of Alabama in an attempt to block construction of a reservoir north of Atlanta that could impact the amount of available water for Alabama.

Sessions said the issue specifically affects Farley because the plant needs a minimum water flow of 2000 cubic feet per second in order to adequately cool and maintain the reactors. A spokesperson for Farley said the flow is near minimum levels and that the states are operating on a 2003 memorandum of understanding, signed by all three governors, insuring the minimum flow.

But construction of reservoirs in north Georgia could affect the flow.

“It’s unthinkable to me that we would create an agreement that would permanently, substantially affect the flow of the entire river system into Alabama,” Sessions said. “Maybe we can help matters. That’s what we would like to do.”