Who knew that the silly movie Tank Girl had it right? It isn't oil that future humans will fight over. It is water.
Nearly the entire state of Georgia is experiencing "severe hydrological drought". Lake Lanier, a man-made lake, is Atlanta's main water supply. Inflows are controlled by Mother Nature. Outflows are controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers. The same Corps that accidentally released 22 billion gallons of water in 2006, just as the drought was beginning, draining the lake two additional feet. Mistake notwithstanding, the Corps still controls the outflows, which are reported to be ten times larger than inflow. The outflows are mandated by federal law for downstream power plants and some sort of endangered mussel. State and federal sources say that there are about three month's worth of water stored in the lake, and if there is not a significant change in the weather, we will run out of water at that time. They are talking about lake levels that are so low they haven't been seen since the lake was originally filled.
The entire northern portion of the state is in a Level 4 drought, which calls for severe water use restrictions. (Georgia has a water plan in place that restricts water use even in plentiful times.) The state is considering even tougher measures. There is going to be a huge economic impact. There is no question that restrictions will go even deeper, especially for businesses. No other major metropolitan area, including frikkin' Las Vegas, has ever had to impose these type of measures. Meanwhile, Alabama has no water use restrictions whatsoever, and the Corps keeps sending billions of gallons downstream to them and to Florida. Normally I am sympathetic to environmental causes and endangered species concerns, but we cannot continue to supplement the natural flow by a factor of ten (and yes, the Corps in their infinite wisdom just RAISED this amount as inflows continue to decline). This is very scary stuff here. We are not talking about having green lawns. No, we are talking about being able to take showers, drink, and flush our toilets.
For our part, PDM and I are trying to conserve. Shorter showers, less rinsing of dishes, and more conscientious water use. I save gray water when I can to take outside and pour over shrubs and trees. I keep a pitcher by the sink for such purposes, and a bucket in the bathroom for shower water. But all of this crap makes me seriously think about having a well dug on my property. Not going to do that yet. But if the rain deficit continues, we may have no other choice. It is only a matter of time before further rationing sets in, and they attempt to restrict indoor water usage.
15 comments:
We've often had some water restrictions placed on our usage here over the years but nothing way out of line or anything. However, back in the winter of 1977, due to really, really bad winter weather and extremely cold temps, the water main to our area froze and broke and we were without ANY water for 10 days here. Trust me, you DON'T want to have to deal with anything that drastic or even where you have to majorly cut back! We packed snow into big pots/pans and melted it to use for washing dishes, flushing the commode too - things like that. Luckily, where my ex worked at the time they had a shed type facility with heat and showers and he, the kids and I could go there to shower but it was a mega hassle because trying to load 3 kids and 2 adults in the car to drive five miles for a shower ain't no fun either! Hope they get things resolved with the usage and also, that you all get some decent rainfall in the meantime.
Man, I wish we could our rain to you. I'm so sick of it I could scream. We needed the moisture, but I'm so over it now.
Do you live right in town? I don't know what your city ordinances are, but here they don't allow you to have a personal well and city water both. They told my mom that if she is ever annexed into city limits, she will be forced to go on city water and abandon her well. It cost her several thousand to get a new well dug a few years ago, so that would really suck.
A couple friends of mine said a couple of years ago that water is going to be the source of wars and major issues.
Have you been to Lake Mead? It's insane how low the water level has dropped in a few short decades. And then Bill Richardson from NM declared that he wanted to tap into the Great Lakes. Guess his presidential aspirations have been knocked a serious blow since those of us who live in the Great Lakes states know how depleted the lakes are. When a lake as large as Michigan is down a couple of feet that's a massive amount of water.
It's getting scary.
It will be interesting when Atlanta completely runs out. Not that I'm saying it will, it's just that I'm curious to see whether 2 million people will take priority over some mussels or not.
Your post struck home, so to speak.
I have a low "water footprint" for the most part.
My vehicle needs, less a bath than a vacuum on the inside and has needed it for a couple of weeks now. The rain today took care of the outside, I suppose I'll have to use manual labor to attack the inside.
I read the post earlier tonight and then realized that I had to do a load of laundry. You made me feel guilty; but, I didn't sort (not that I do that much anyway) and filled the sucker right up to the brim so as to get the most out of the water.
Aside from our current crisis, we need to deal with water and infrastructure in a much more rational way. I fear that once we get a few months of rain the impetus to do what we need to do will go away.
jeni - ten days? Holy crap! At least you had the snow to keep you going. Thanks for the rain wishes.
trina - not sure about the legality of a well. I don't live within the city proper. I live about two miles outside the perimeter highway. It might be worth it to have a well for outdoor use, and as an emergency source though.
kat - I didn't realize the Great Lakes are down so much. You are right, that is an incredible amount of water. Atlanta's main water source, Lake Lanier, is currently dropping at a rate of 1.5 feet per day.
ll - more like 5 million people, which is part of the problem. But what would those mussels do if there was no dam, and they had to make it on what Ma Nature is providing? We might find out soon...
dave - the state does have a water management plan, which is why there are permanent outdoor water use restrictions even in times of no drought. It seems like they still got caught with their pants down. But part of the problem, perhaps, is that they didn't count on the Corps sending so much downstream in a time of extreme shortage. Some smarter regulation for new housing would also be prudent. And they can't really squeeze homeowners any more, so businesses will be hit next. Not a good time to run a landscaping company here...
I have noticed that the water sources here are pretty low. Alot of the main lakes are suffering and the resovoirs too. I rive by one every weekend and Im watching islands appear.
Did you get rain last night? I thought I heard something about Atlanta getting a storm.
I recently read an article about how water has been a source of war throughout civilization and it's fully predicted to happen again, especially with global warming and all the freaky weather that comes with it. It is really really scary stuff. I also heard a podcast (yes, I'm a total nerd) about people having piping installed to divert their gray water directly to their sprinkler systems so that no fresh water was used on lawns and gardens. I think it's pretty expensive and requires a permit, but if you are looking at doing some underground work, it might not tack too much on to the overall cost. Hope you get some rain soon.
Sounds like it might be quite the tug of war.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21358422/
bc - it isn't just Georgia, that is for sure.
kat - we did get some rain last night. The sound of a hard rain woke us up, but it didn't last long enough to do much good. We need for it to rain steadily for days. That hasn't happened in a very long time.
magnetbabe - people here are getting interested in rain barrels, collecting condensate from air conditioners, and plumbing gray water into useful storage. But those solutions only help you with your own watering needs. I am more worried about having sufficient water pressure in the public water supply.
trina - the interstate water wars have been fought in the courts for years. This new lawsuit is just the latest salvo in desperate times. These three states have to share, but in lean times, the individual shares are going to have to be smaller. That is not what is happening right now, and the reservoir is dropping 1.5 feet per day. That is unsustainable.
I have a well. I try to always have a well because I don't like paying for a natural resource. I'm still not a water waster, but I do recommend it.
The climate change is so scary. I enjoy these warm falls and then I say, "It's killing the planet ... and polar bears ... and all these other species I don't even know about." Now it's killing the fine state of Georgia. Not fair.
I was just reading about the water situation in the West. Some climatologists aren't calling it a drought any more. They're saying that this is the new climate there. It's like, you wouldn't say the Sahara was having a drought - that's the permanent condition. That may be what happens out West.
I heard this morning that Atlanta's supposed to get storms today. I hope it's enough to give some benefit. But not so much that the hard-baked ground can't absorb it all and then we have a flood. *fingers crossed*
We just flat-out don't have enough fresh water sources to sustain a growing population, and we've made the problem worse by polluting some of our largest water sources (such as the Mississippi River) to the point that they are almost unusable. As cities like Atlanta continue to grow, do we sacrifice downstream wetlands so Atlantians have enough water, or do we search for new sources. Not to mention that the desert environment simply wasn't meant to support urban centers the size of Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Long-term, we will some day be desaliniating lots and lots of sea water. Right now, that's an expensive proposition, but the water treatment industry is currently making a big push to develop better and cheaper desalilination techniques. Big questions remain - the miles and miles of pipeline and pumping stations needed, especially in the West, the environmental impact of giant treatment plants along the oceanfront, the ecological effect of drawing billions of gallons of sea water out daily. Also, what the devil are we going to do with all that salt?
In the short term, water shortages are going to be deeper and more widespread. Eventually we'll turn to the oceans because there's nowhere else to go. Unless global warming gets us first.
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