Southeast drought

LKLND3380

Well-Known Member
Just wondering from here in northeast. ... How bad is the drought in the southeast?

Florida has been getting hit with rain pretty good and the coastal areas Georgia are getting hit pretty good as well...

Where the problem is are the northern and central parts of Georgia, South Carolina and maybe a couple other states. There is very little or no rain so the rivers and lakes that flow south are all affected.

You can see where lakes are drying up and the shore is back 15 feet from where it should be... In some lakes people are finding artifacts like indian pottery.
 

athena

Well-Known Member
I live in North Georgia. It is pretty serious, especially in the Atlanta area. I keep hearing that unless something changes soon, the water could dry up in the next couple of months (some have even been measuring in weeks).

A couple of the bigger companies are working to help with the problem in Atlanta including UPS and Coke. Right now it seems mostly to be that people are asked to be as conservative as possible (i.e. take 2-5 min showers using water only for wetting and rinsing) and of course there are bans to keep from watering the lawn etc. Restaurants have even been encouraged to only bring water to the table if the customer asks for it.

Businesses that have been worst hit are those like landscaping b/c no one is allowed to water their lawns regardless of how new the lawn is. I have also heard the older individuals say they have seen streams go dry that they have never seen go dry before. I have been hearing that most of the lakes (both big and small) are anywhere between 12-15 feet lower than the norm.
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona, two major lakes just north of Atlanta are down about fifteen feet. I live near Sweetwater Creek State Park which has the city of East Points water reservoir, and it is almost dry. The private lakes for the most part are full. There are outdoor water restrictions like Athena mentioned. We have too much growth and our rainfall deficit is about fifteen inches. Some counties are refusing to issue building permits to developers now. We need to build more reservoirs and start conserving better. The Army Corps of Engineers control the flow of water out of Lakes Lanier and Allatoona, it is used to generate electricity, float barges in Alabama, and save those precious mussels in Florida. Our Governor is current fussing with Alabama and Florida about those 3.2 billion gallons of water released every day.
 

beentheredonethat

Well-Known Member
Lake Lanier and Lake Allatoona, two major lakes just north of Atlanta are down about fifteen feet. I live near Sweetwater Creek State Park which has the city of East Points water reservoir, and it is almost dry. The private lakes for the most part are full. There are outdoor water restrictions like Athena mentioned. We have too much growth and our rainfall deficit is about fifteen inches. Some counties are refusing to issue building permits to developers now. We need to build more reservoirs and start conserving better. The Army Corps of Engineers control the flow of water out of Lakes Lanier and Allatoona, it is used to generate electricity, float barges in Alabama, and save those precious mussels in Florida. Our Governor is current fussing with Alabama and Florida about those 3.2 billion gallons of water released every day.

Scratch,
Hope things get better for you folks down in Atlanta. I almost got sent down there a few years ago to the ivory towers. I looked at buying in the fulton county forsyth county area off of 400. I'm all for being a good steward of the land and doing what's right for wildlife. But come on.... people have to understand that people come first, second and third with no close runner up. Draining water from these reservoirs so that mussels will have water and yet people in Atlanta may be out of water in weeks or months is ridiculous. At the same time, I'm glad they are seriously looking about reducing growth in area. Looks like you definitely need additional reservoirs and even looking into desalination plants and pumping water into the state. Hope all works out...
 

satellitedriver

Moderator
I hope this is not too far off subject.
While watching a show on the power plants at Niagra Falls, an interesting factoid was mentioned. 2/3rd of all the fresh water in the US flows over the Falls.
That's a heck of alot of fresh water, flowing to the sea.
We have pipeline systems that flows natural gas from Texas and many other states in almost a spider web configuration to service the entire nation.
Water could be treated the same way.
The huge reservoir of the Great Lakes could provided a renewable and almost inexhaustible
supply of potable water throughout the US.
This would be have to be a huge scale federal program. (that part is scary)
Water will be the next oil.(read as shortage)
Maybe we should plan for it, instead of praying for rain to fill our rivers, lakes and kitchen faucets.
PAX
 

dirty moose

Well-Known Member
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a0WAzQxwAbNg&refer=us

Atlanta Urinals, Fountain Run Dry as UPS, Coke Fight Drought
By Mary Jane Credeur and Laurence Viele Davidson
data



Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Urinals without water. Fountains without water. A waterfall without water.
Dry is the goal as United Parcel Service Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and other companies in the Atlanta area rally to cut water use in response to the region's most extreme drought since at least the 1920s. Metropolitan Atlanta, which has added more new residents than any other U.S. city since 2000, may face limits on growth if the shortage persists, business officials said.
``We are very galvanized around this issue,'' said John Somerhalder II, chief executive officer of AGL Resources Inc., which provides natural gas in Atlanta, and vice chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's environmental committee. ``It is the No. 1 topic that businesses are concerned about.''
Atlanta-based UPS, the world's biggest package-delivery company, is testing urinals that drain without water. Coca-Cola turned off the fountain in front of its Atlanta headquarters and canceled planting of new flowers that would require watering, said Kirsten Witt, spokeswoman.
Even the city's aquarium found ways to save a few drops. The Georgia Aquarium bills itself as the world's largest, with 8 million gallons (30 million liters) of water that is home to sharks, sea lions, coral and other aquatic life.
The aquarium, in downtown Atlanta, temporarily cut off a waterfall. For two other water-gushing features, the shutdown is permanent. A lake and a moat are being replaced with sand and art, said Dave Santucci, spokesman.
``The big businesses have gotten the idea,'' said Sam Booher, an Augusta resident who monitors water issues in Georgia for the Sierra Club. `` They are looking ahead.''
Tapped Out
The moves may be too late: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that Lake Lanier, the city's reservoir, may run out of clean water in about 110 days. The area has received just 25 inches (64 centimeters) of rain this year, half the usual amount. The scarcity of tropical systems is one reason, said Dan Dixon, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Miami.
Governor Sonny Perdue on Oct. 20 declared a state of emergency in 85 counties, and three days later ordered utilities and water systems to reduce consumption by 10 percent. He urged Georgians to keep their cars dirty as a badge of honor.
Perdue is scheduled to meet tomorrow in Washington with Governor Bob Riley of Alabama and Governor Charlie Crist of Florida and members of their congressional delegations to discuss the crisis. Perdue declined to be interviewed.
The shortfall is hurting some companies and employees. An estimated 14,000 landscaping workers in the Atlanta area have been laid off since June, said Mary Kay Woodworth, executive director of the Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association.
No Snow-Making
Stone Mountain Park canceled plans for a snow-making, winter-themed attraction because it would require 1.2 million gallons of water to complete. The park features granite carvings of Confederate war heroes and a light show.
North of Atlanta, recreational fishing is in a slump. Starboard Cove Marina in Flowery Branch normally has 475 boats docked on the water. Most are dry-docked.
``It's depressing to see all these boats sitting on land,'' said Wendy Phillips, dockmaster. ``Pray for rain.''
Further water cutbacks may leave Georgia's chicken producers high and dry.
``The only way for many poultry operations to conserve a significant amount of water at this point is to reduce production,'' said Mike Giles, senior vice president of the Georgia Poultry Federation, whose members include Tyson Foods Inc. and Perdue Farms Inc.
Restraints on Growth
The water shortage, along with traffic jams and the need to improve schools, could limit the city's growth, said Roger Tutterow, an economist with Mercer University in Atlanta. The metro area had 5.14 million people in July 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
About 55 percent of Atlanta's water is used by homes, with 21 percent going to office buildings, hotels and restaurants, according to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.
Coca-Cola and its bottlers have cut water use by about 6 percent a year the past three years, saving 100 million gallons since 2005, the company said in a report. UPS, in addition to testing dry urinals, switched to dry-mopping delivery trucks, saving 10,000 gallons a day, said Heather Robinson, spokeswoman.
Delta Air Lines Inc., Atlanta's largest air carrier, has cut water use at its operations center 50 percent since 2003, said Betsy Talton, spokeswoman. The airline still washes planes to reduce drag during flight, improving fuel efficiency. Its goal is to reduce water use by an additional 30 percent, she said.
Brown to Green
Spray-on green was the answer for Georgia Institute of Technology, which hasn't watered the grass in its football stadium since Oct. 4, said Wayne Hogan, spokesman. Golf courses including Atlanta's East Lake Golf Club, site of the U.S. PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship, are only watering their putting surfaces.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin urged residents to understand that it's more important to have water for drinking and firefighting than for keeping lawns lush.
``It doesn't seem like people are concerned enough,'' said Mickey Mellen, 31, who tracks the water situation on a blog, www.atlantawatershortage.com. ``What happens when we run out? Nobody has a real answer.''
 
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