APALACHICOLA, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit filed by Florida that seeks to limit the amount of water Georgia can take from a shared river system.

The nation's high court on Monday agreed to hear the states' long-simmering battle over the Apalachicola River and its tributaries.

Florida has argued that Georgia is guzzling more than its share of water at the expense of the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery, which relies on fresh river water mixing with the salty sea to thrive.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott appealed to the Supreme Court to limit Georgia's water use after the oyster industry's near collapse, which caused a federal disaster declaration.

Georgia opposed the court's intervention, saying the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is already working on a new allocation plan.