ATLANTA (AP) -- An appeals court will hear arguments on the state of Georgia's request to overturn a ruling that could severely restrict metro Atlanta's water supply.

Lawyers said the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta will hear arguments March 9 centering a long-running water dispute between Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

Georgia authorities are seeking to overturn a 2009 ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson that found metro Atlanta has little right to take water from Lake Lanier. That lake is the main water supply for roughly 3 million people in the metropolitan region.

Unless a deal is struck by July 2012, the judge said he will limit water withdrawals to levels last seen in the 1970s.