About that Georgia water shortage

[hedgehog]

What happens if the supply drops to 90 days? 70 days? 50days?

[DrunkenMaster]

1. maybe they should close their golf courses?

Nah....never happen.

[Bjorn Against]

2. There is a major crisis brewing and it is being ignored completely

I fear this could rival Katrina when it comes to examples of government neglect for our citizens.

[Ilsa]

7. San antonio placed restrictions on growth because of water supply

issues. They have rules about building over the aquifer, etc.

But everyone needs to get serious about population growth, use of water, and availability of potable water. I don't think our planet was meant to support this many people.

[CrispyQ]

3. The beginning of the water wars.

And we think the oil wars are bad?

Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.

[katty]

4. No Worries: Chertoff and FEMA will Rescue GA, like they've

done so well everywhere else!! MEMO TO GA: SAVE YOURSELVES, YOU CAN DO IT

[renie408]

5. No clue. All I know is that we have gotten rain for two days in a row.

I know that won't solve our drought problems, but DAMN it is nice to hear rain on the roof again. We haven't had rain like this in over two months.

[NashVegas]

19. In Nashville, We Haven't Had Rain Like This for Two Years, It Seems

Two and 1/2 days, straight, now.

[renie408]

30. Oops, I am always blaming you guys for getting our rain. I guess not, huh?

It seems like every time a promising system heads this way, it hits Tennessee, then the mountains...then shears off north before we get anything. I didn't even realize that Tennessee was getting hit by this drought.

Rain on the roof sounds like heaven, doesn't it??

[SpiralHawk]

6. "If they got money, we will SELL them water. Smirk" - republicon cronies

"Smirk, smirk, smirk -- them that gots megabucks to give to us gets water. Smirk, smirk, smirk.

"No cash money bucks, no water. Too bad about you Little People. Smirk."

- Corrupt cabal of republicon corporate cronies

[silverweb]

17. Betcha you're right.

See my post #16 for expressions of agreement.

[silverweb]

8. They're screwed.

Apparently, they have NO backup plan to speak of... except to maybe ration water and ask FEMA to truck in emergency drinking water?

They should start building interim and permanent solar distillation plants along their coastline right now, but I doubt they will.

They should start encouraging widespread use of waterless composting toilets right now, but I doubt they will.

They should legislate graywater collection systems for all irrigation purposes right now, but I doubt they will.

They should start encouraging widespread rainwater collection and storage right now, but I doubt they well.

And so should we all, but I doubt many will.

We're going to be seeing a lot more of this and worse.

:(

[katty]

11. heard their Gov on radio int.,he sounded "zippity do dah"..,

'didn't want to alarm anyone too early'----when they ALL KNEW IT WAS A PROBLEM--TOO EARLY??!!

[silverweb]

16. Whatever happened to long-term vision and planning?

"Living in the moment" is an expression for emotional health, guys... NOT meant for maintaining the infrastructure of a civilized society!

It's got to be the profit motive and planned social darwinism by the oligarchs. There's no other possible explanation besides unfathomable stupidity.

[Mike03]

18. Exactly

Even though we are trying to do this in Arizona, it's clear that people don't think into the future very well. It's one of the mysteries of the human mind. All sorts of short-term temptations and diversions seem to get in the way.

[CottonBear]

22. We've know it was going to be a problem for DECADES. n/t

[Stuckinthebush]

20. Waterless composting toilets, you say?

Hmmm...cool.

Do they smell atrocious or are they made to hold back the odor?

[silverweb]

23. Depends on the design.

Google it. There are some very good choices available.

[CottonBear]

24. UsIng greywater is against GA EPD rules. Mind boggling, huh.

The problem is that people (guys usually) tend to pee in the shower and sink.

In new construction, grey water could be captured to flush low flow toilets. Retrofitting could be really hard to do but it could be done. No need to flush toilets with drinking water.

I only flush when I really have to. I turn off the tap when brushing my teeth and take super short showers.

http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/publicutilities/index.htm
http://www.accpublicutilities.com/

[silverweb]

27. Pathetic.

The nitrogen in urine has actually been shown to be a very good fertilizer. What percentage of shower water is going to have urine in it? One good piss is probably half a liter at most and each shower uses gallons water, so big deal.

Guys peeing in the shower ... that's a really thin excuse for disallowing the use of graywater for irrigation, and not a very good one at that.

[redqueen]

35. Denial...

I don't know of any other explanation for the lack of awareness / action.

This problem didn't exactly sneak up on us.

[Mike03]

9. This is a HUGE story, and not that many people seem

concerned.

As a citizen of Arizona, water scarcity is an issue of enormous importance here. We hardly ever have a city counsel meeting where some issue regarding future water supplies is not discussed.

But this issue with GA came completely out of the blue for me. I thought I was somewhat knowledgeable about drought regions, but Georgia? That is mindboggling.

Wars will be fought over oil, sure... but they ought to add three words: "but water first."

[CottonBear]

10. We will have to go to indoor rationing. Gov. Perdue is a dumbfuck w/out a plan.

My area of NE GA is on a total outside watering ban. IMHO, We should have been on it since last spring. We did one day a week watering through the summer. No one in my local government wants to detail what "Plan F" will be except that schools, medical facilities and fire lines will be priority users and everyone else will be raioned in some way. How, I don't know. We've managed to cut use by 25% and I think we could do 50% but how do you enforce indoor rationing?

We need rain in large amounts. The last three days of rain won't really raise the reservoir and river lelvels.

The super wealthy residents down at Lake Oconee's exclusive gated developments have a totally full lake. I know because I saw it with my own eyes. We should pump water back up to Athens, Barrow, Clarke and Oconee counties but they won't ever agree to it because they are rich (really rich) and Republican and it would just look so awful if their lake isn't full to the brim.
:grr:

[katty]

13. yeah,agree, I heard Sonny P and he has put his state in peril

[katty]

14. yeah,agree, I heard Sonny P and he has put his state in peril

[cordelia]

15. Lake Oconee

is at full pool. I also heard Lake Sinclair is, too. No report on Lake Burton and others in the mountains.

It is frightening to think what happens if the unthinkable does occur - more than 5 million people without drinking water.

This is some serious business.

[CottonBear]

21. Lake Sinclair is full too. The Oconee and Broad River systems are at record low flows.

:scared:

Athens is talking about getting businesses to install waterless urinals. The government has a massive public education campaign about the total outdoor watering ban and conservation. UGA is working on reducing use too. (Labs use the most water at UGA, somewhere around 30%.) I got a free rain barrel from Athens-Clarke County.

We here in NE GA have simply allowed too much growth for our water supply and most local governments have not (until recently) advocated conservation. Athens-CLarke county is ahead of the red counties in that respect.

[gademocrat7]

25. I totally agree with you.

We should have banned all outdoor watering last spring.Especially, no water for golf courses, car dealerships, etc. There is an empty car dealership near my home that has sprinklers spraying away each morning.

[Mike03]

12. Atlanta is an incredibly beautiful city, too.

It's just a serious, sad situation.

Did others see this coming? I was completely clueless that drought was in issue in the South.

[tekisui]

26. It is 90 day supply, now.

I really don't know what they will do. All the suggestions involve major projects. Like, routing water from surrounding states, and grey water recycling or desalination of the Atlantic. Things that would take much longer than 90 days. I guess they will have to ship bottled water in by the truckloads?

[daa]

28. Until a couple weeks ago

they were still watering their yards 3 days a week. All republican house, senate and governor. No money for infrastructure, don't believe in warming or conservation, but they sure do hate Mexicans.

I think they are beginning to figure out that praying isn't working.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

29. here's the scoop folks...

the 74 days of water that everyone keeps talking about is NOT the bottom of the lake. It is the bottom of the 'conservation pool' and is MONTHS from the end of water. That's number one.

the Army Corps of Engineers is doing a pisspoor job of managing the lake...hell they 'accidentally' released 22 BILLION gallons in the early part of the year...I think that comes to about 4 months of use for ATL area. Also, they have been sending much more water downstream than is actually supplied into the lake by the surrounding water-shed...all the bitching in Alabama and Florida and if it weren't for the ACE and Buford Dam, the waterflow downstream would be about 1/5th what is being released...hell, the 'Hooch is nearly at floodstage where it goes beneath Hwy400. That's two.

Alabama has ZERO watering restrictions...they can DROWN their world in water, but they expect the Atlanta area to bear all the burden of this problem. That's three.

Atlanta is overgrown and without a good plan...but better management of the Lake would have alleviated or prevented almost all of this problem. Lanier is more than capable of supplying water at current and future levels...if the ACE would quit fucking around.

sP

[ProdigalJunkMail]

31. I am THREADKILLER...

hear me whimper...

sP

[halobeam]

32. sorry, I can't allow you to break my record.

:)

[Liberal In Texas]

33. NO COKE! NO COKE! PEPSI! n/t

[CottonBear]

34. LOL!

But seriously, our GOP Gov. and GOP controlled state assembly had better get off their asses and DO SOMETHING.
:grr: