When it comes to the two-decade tri-state water wars, local experts still have numerous questions as they face Northeast Georgia's impending water shortage.

"I've posed several questions, and to come up with an answer in just a few minutes is tough," Kelly Randall, director of Gainesville's public utilities department, told a group of students, professors and community members who attended a tri-state water wars panel discussion Tuesday in Brenau University's Thurmond McRae Auditorium.

"We all need to recognize that the end is not so near as some of us would like to think," he said.

"DeKalb, Gwinnett, Fulton counties and Atlanta all have the same questions, and the only real solution is that Lake Lanier needs to be reauthorized for drinking use."

Earlier this month, judges from the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard testimony about the tri-state water wars.

Georgia officials asked the court to overturn a July 2009 ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson that gave the state three years to work out an agreement with neighbors Alabama and Florida or face not being able to withdraw water from Lake Lanier.

For Randall, this brings up questions about how much water will be allowed, how to adjust for population growth and how water restrictions will be calculated.

"In the meantime, we need to recognize that if that doesn't occur in near terms, we will get to the edge of how much water we have," Randall said. "We need to move forward with reservoir plans at Cedar Creek and Glades Farm."

The panel recognized World Water Day, which the United Nations created in 1992 to focus on different global water issues each year. This year's theme is water for cities.

The panel discussed the fundamentals of Lake Lanier's watershed, the legal complexities surrounding Lake Lanier and solutions for Georgia's impending water shortage.

"There is a lot of wasted water," said Brenau professor Rudi Kiefer, pointing to condensation on a water pitcher. "A lot is being wasted in cooling towers and other installations, and we need to capture that."

Officials could find ways to use nonpotable water or grey water for outdoor use or toilets.

"Why are we washing our driveways or porches with drinking water?" Kiefer said. "We need to identify these additional sources of water, improve plumbing codes and look into different methods of rainwater harvesting."

The panel posed several conservation solutions, but the largest concern links back to Magnuson's ruling on Lake Lanier.

"We have to wait and see what the Court of Appeals says and keep doing what we're doing," said Pat Stevens, chief environmental planning officer for the Atlanta Regional Commission. "We must use efficiency, focus on water conservation and watch the timing of Judge Magnuson's ruling with the economic recession and building reservoirs."

For example, if Magnuson's ruling stands, Hall County officials who are planning the Glades Farm Reservoir for the northern end of the county would be required to build pipelines around Lake Lanier to move the water.

"We need the permit, which is good for a 10-year period, but we don't have to go out and build the $346 million project tomorrow," said Ken Rearden, Hall County's public utilities director. "Hopefully we won't have to build that much because more than half of the pipelines would have to pipe around the lake. If it touches the lake, the water would be considered Lake Lanier water."

At the same time, ecology experts are trying to balance any proposed solutions with how they may change ecosystems in Northeast Georgia and the Atlanta area.

"Ecology focuses on the interactions between species over time and space, which can create a real mess in terms of what healthy ecosystems look like," said Laura Hartt, water policy director with the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. "How much can we ask of the river for human consumptive needs before we reach the point of no return and we've taken it too far? It's a daunting task, and there's no easy answer for that."

Hartt and others see no way around the reauthorization of Lake Lanier.

"That is job No. 1 for us. There is no substitute for Lanier in terms of environmental impacts. It would have devastating effects," she said. "Before we build new reservoirs, we need to make sure we're being smart about using the sources we currently have in place."

As Gov. Nathan Deal continues to negotiate with the Alabama and Florida governors on the tri-state issue, local water experts encouraged residents to get involved through conservation, toilet retrofits and local advocacy groups such as the ACF (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River) Stakeholders and the Brenau Sustainability Task Force.

"The issue of sustainable life and sustainable coexistence with nature has finally come full circle to the point where it's not ignorable anymore," said Brenau President Ed Schrader. "It's something we have to deal with from fuel prices to pollution to the availability of fresh and clean food sources. It's not a fad, and it shouldn't be viewed by anyone as the next tree hugger's point of view."