The move, which comes a day after he ordered north Georgia public utilities to cut water use by ten percent, is a not-so-subtle plea to encourage the federal government to help resolve the state's water crisis.

The location of the event around the corner from the local Army Corps of Engineers office was also meant to send a message.

The state last week sued the Corps, which manages regional water resources, demanding it send less water from Georgia lakes downstream to Florida and Alabama. The governor has also asked President Bush to declare the drought-stricken region a federal disaster area and order that the release of Georgia water be reduced.

Perdue said he's been in discussions with White House officials on the state's request, but that it's been ``plain disheartening'' that federal authorities have continued to operate the watershed using a ``fatally flawed'' plan.

Millions of gallons of water are sent daily from Georgia reservoirs downstream to Alabama and Florida to help run power plants and provide water for federally protected mussel species. The Corps said it's abiding by federal guidelines, and the neighboring states have bitterly contested any change in the water releases, intensifying a water fight among the three states that has lasted for almost two decades.

Perdue's order today bans the washing of state vehicles, the installation of new landscaping and power washing to clean state buildings. It also requires employees to probe state buildings for leaks.

Almost one-third of the Southeast is covered by an ``exceptional'' drought the worst drought category. The Atlanta area, with a population of 5 million, is in the middle of the affected region, which includes most of Tennessee, Alabama and the northern half of Georgia, as well as parts of North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)