Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford will be among 15 Alabama elected officials traveling to Montgomery today to show support for Gov. Bob Riley's efforts to stop Georgia from reducing the flow of water from federal reservoirs.

The Southeast Water Alliance is hosting what it calls an “educational press conference” at 1:30 p.m. today at the Alabama Statehouse. A group of mayors and county commissioners from around the state will discuss steps taken in their communities to alleviate the impact of the ongoing drought on residents.

Lunsford said the conference is an opportunity to show that the state's elected officials stand behind Riley in the dispute with Georgia over water usage

“We want to prove the point that we have done everything we can as a state to preserve water,” Lunsford said. “Even in a community like Troy, where we have an abundance of ground water, we are still observing an odd/even water schedule and doing what we can to conserve water.”

In a press release, SWA officials said today's conference was called to respond to comments made by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, who stated that Atlanta took significant steps to prepare for the current drought while Alabama did little or nothing.

“We want to show that there has been a concerted effort by officials through the state ... to promote conservation,” Lunsford said. “We know that water is a concern and will continue to be a concern as years go by.”

Also today, Sen. Jeff Sessions is expected to tour the Farley Nuclear Plant outside of Dothan to learn from officials there what impact reduced water flows on the Chattahoochee River could have on electrical generation capabilities in Alabama.

“The water flow dispute is a complicated issue with many serious ramifications, including the ability for Farley Nuclear Plant to generate electricity,” Sessions said. “It is important that we know and understand all the facts of the situation, and I am looking forward to visiting the Farley plant tomorrow to better understand the current diminished river flow rate. This will determine whether the plant can continue to operate.”

The conflict between Georgia and Alabama over the water in federal reserves has been simmering for weeks. The issue came to a head recently when Purdue said Georgia needs to hold back water in its reservoirs to preserve drinking water for the Atlanta area.