No Backup if Atlanta's Faucets Run Dry

[jpak]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071019/D8SCHTI00.html

ATLANTA (AP) - With the South in the grip of an epic drought and its largest city holding less than a 90-day supply of water, officials are scrambling to deal with the worst-case scenario: What if Atlanta's faucets really do go dry?

So far, no real backup plan exists. And there are no quick fixes among suggested solutions, which include piping water in from rivers in neighboring states, building more regional reservoirs, setting up a statewide recycling system or even desalinating water from the Atlantic Ocean.

"It's amazing that things have come to this," said Ray Wiedman, owner of an Atlanta landscaper business. "Everybody knew the growth was coming. We haven't had a plan for all the people coming here?"

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue seems to be pinning his hopes on a two-pronged approach: urging water conservation and reducing water flowing out of federally controlled lakes.

<more>

edit: the late Dr. Eugene Odum saw this coming decades ago...

[IDemo]

1. This should be engraved on a monolith for future species to interpret:

We haven't had a plan for all the people coming here

[phantom power]

6. Most people assume their fearless leaders have a plan.

I think the next couple decades are going to be a real shock to most citizens, as they realize how completely asleep at the wheel our federal, state and local governments really are on these problems.

"they didn't have a plan???"

[bananas]

2. 'Water doomsday' near at hand, ecologist warns

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=003R6d

Story last updated at 12:09 a.m. on Monday, July 3, 2000 'Water doomsday' near at hand, ecologist warns

By Lee Shearer Staff Writer

<snip>

In a recent interview, Odum displayed a graph produced by an ecology class he taught at UGA in 1978. The graph plots out an Atlanta ''water doomsday.'' It shows two lines, far apart at first, then intersecting in the year 2010, when Atlanta's water use would exceed the minimum flow in the Chattahoochee River that supplies most of the area's water. There was just one thing wrong with the prediction, Odum said. Because Atlanta has been growing much faster than anyone foresaw over the past two decades, the city's water use has grown much faster than projected -- which means Atlanta's ''water doomsday'' is already at hand, he said. Metropolitan Atlanta's water use, less than 200 million gallons a day in 1978 when Odum's class charted the future, is now about 400 million gallons a day and still rising, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission. Odum's 1978 projection estimated that Atlanta's water would be a bit less than 250 million gallons a day in 2000. With such skyrocketing use, Odum predicted the state could be fighting water wars on several fronts before long.

<snip>

[XemaSab]

3. "Moonshine's for drinkin'...."

:P

[jpak]

4. But did they listen in Hot 'Lanta???

nope

can you say "limits to growth"???

[kestrel91316]

5. "Let them drink Perrier," said Caligula.

[tinrobot]

7. Actually, in Atlanta it's Gatorade.

Biggest Single Water User In Atlanta Is Gatorade Plant

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/biggest_single_1.php

So, a good portion of Atlanta's water is shipped to grocery store shelves worldwide.

[kestrel91316]

9. Happy to say I don't drink Gatorade, so I'm not part of your problem.

[losthills]

8. If you cut through the hype....

It's a neo-con governor petitioning the neo-con president to over ride the Endangered Species Act-- one of the neo-cons primary targets. It's a put-up deal, and Americans shouldn't put up with Bush setting this kind of precedent.

They can get through this with water conservation. All of this "animals vs. humans" tripe is pure political theatre.

"Sonny Purdue..."

Get real....