For all those that have not heard we have a tremendous drought taking place in Georgia. This one is the real thing. We are down to a 90 day supply, before they tap into the reserves! As of right now there are no other contingencies once we hit the critical level. When the water is gone, that is it! No back up plans! I am surprised that everyone has waited so long before taking any real action to lessen the effects. There were no studies curbing growth, multi-family dwelling construction, single family home neighborhoods seemed to be all approved without any real impact studies. Rationing seems to be a plan they can use if they have to but no one seems to want to implement it unless it is a last resort! That is what happens when you have lame politicians that are not real leaders, they are just takers. I'm sure there will be a few politicians getting their make-up to pose in front of the cameras to claim, "I told you so!" but the truth is they didn't! They were all too busy with their noses in the trough! Permits, unbridled growth, too many high density projects, and no new dams! So it is not just about restricting water lawns and washing cars that will change the picture. There is no leadership here! It is missing on the local, state, regional level, and planning levels! It is totally missing! In fact it should be criminal! No one was doing their job!
In New York years ago they were faced with a major drought, but they averted major consequences by taking some drastic actions. Car washes all had to recycle water or close, no water at restaurants unless specifically requested, ban on all outdoor burning. suggestions were posted and ads were on TV with tips for water conservation. I think in Atlanta they really want to wait until we are down to a 45 day supply before they politicians and elected officials take any real action. By that time they will be reacting only because the TV stations, and national news will be demanding it. A sad state of affairs for Georgia and Georgians to have leaders that cannot lead.
If there is no water, there will be no future development. Companies and jobs will cancel plans to move to Georgia because it is obvious that we do not have the resources for growing businesses. In fact we will not have the resources to let existing businesses keep the doors open. I think the voters of Georgia need to rethink who they are placing in elected office. We are the laughing stock of the nation. Education and road congestion have already kept many major companies from calling Atlanta and Georgia their new home, now it is the lack of water!
Georgian suprise me that there is no outcry...perhaps too many will wait until the last few weeks before they voice their indignation. Personally I think that is to late!.
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Hi Jim - I knew the southeast was dry and in drought conditions, but I had no idea how dry Atlanta was until I saw the news this evening. I'll be praying for rain!
My daughter lives in Knoxville and she was telling me how dry it was and how the leaves aren't as pretty in the Smoky's as they usually are. We're used to dry seasons here in Ft. Worth, but I've never seen it like that in the southeast.
Hope you guys get some help and some rain. I lived through this type of thing years ago. Good luck
Missy Caulk- Ann Arbor Real Estate This is really one of those things where it is unbelieveable! They have
no vision for the present and future needs of our city and state. They need to resign! It is like someone saying... "I got hit by the slow moving freight train because I didn't see it coming, and I wasn't paying attention to the horn!"
Jim,
The prolonged drought over there is a serious issue. But as you point out, the lack of action from the state leaders is even more serious. Challenges always come and that's when those in charge are supposed to find solutions. What's going on with them suits?
Pretty scary stuff Jim.
Good planning makes good communities.
Being from Southern California, I can't ever remember a time when we weren't considered to be under drought conditions (el nino years excepted, but even then we were always reminded that it "wasn't enough" because the water came too fast to be absorbed by the land).
Here in CA, we have a few ways of dealing with drought:
Communities are required (and individuals encouraged) to water the landscaping in short spurts (about 3 minutes at a time, over 2-3 waterings per day) in the middle of the night - so sprinklers go on around 2am. This minimizes waste in a couple ways. One, because the small amounts of water are more easily absorbed by the ground, so there is less runoff waste. And two, because by doing it in the wee hours of the morning, there is minimal evaporation - the water has time to soak in. This means less water can be used.
Water is not automatically brought to the table in a restaurant. You have to request it. Always. It may be offered by your waiter, but it is never automatically brought.
Hotels encourage reusing towels (reducing loads of laundry) by leaving little signs in the bathrooms instructing that if you want your towels washed, to leave them on the floor, but if you hang them back up on the towel bar, it means you will reuse them.
Turn off the water faucet while brushing your teeth. Lots of water is wasted this way. This is true while washing dishes as well. Turn the faucet off when you aren't actually using the stream of water in some way.
Fix a "running" toilet. If your toilet occasionally "runs" when it hasn't been flushed, it means you have a leak. Even a slow leak in a toilet can waste TONS of water. This one is huge.
Turn off the shower while you lather your hair with shampoo and conditioner.
And a handy little bit from when I lived in Las Vegas: Vegas residents are only allowed to water their lawns on certain days of the week. The water department sends out notices advising them which days they are allowed to do it.
Supply and demand. Oil's over $90 a barrel, but I'm still paying the same for water as I have been the past few years. Water's in short supply, and I know I won't be popular for saying it, but isn't it time to make cost commensurate with consumption?
Set a basic household maximum, which would reasonably supply the basic needs based on number of occupants; leaving that cost close to where it is now, so as not to place an unfair or greater burden on low-income families. Any usage up to a certain level above that is billed at 50% (or other percentage) more, above that 100% increase, then 200%, and so on, through various levels. (And I'm not suggesting this as an alternate to the watering ban, but in addition). That way those who don't conserve will be hit where it hurts . . .
Same principal for businesses. It may seem unfair for car washes, laundromats, and the like, who rely on water, but then the drought isn't fair on farmers, landscapers, nurseries, and the like either. Some of the the cost can be passed on to the consumer, but issues such as leaks or waste are far more likely to be addressed, and quicker. I may think twice about paying $15 for a car wash, rather than the five or six bucks I pay now . . . forcing consumer conservation as well.
I know this won't create more water, but it might slow the rate of depletion. The excess funds can be used within local comunities to shore up leaky infrastructure, protect water sources, implement evaporation reduction measures, or other controls.
The water issue is not just about Georgia in 2007. It's about the planet and the future. We are on the brink of a global crisis, and you're right, there is no leadership. It's just never been enough of a hot button issue to create proactive thinking. But it's going to be.
Just my two cents . . .
Jim,
Couldn't resist pulling out an aerial shot taken over the summer on Lake Lanier - check out the shoreline difference.
This is a scary situation and our politicians need to wake up! We have experienced a drought on Lanier before and recovered by spring but this is much more serious with the potential of impacting many lives. 90 Days before tapping the reserves and no back up plan?
It's a little late to beef up on water conservation campaigns and you don't have to be a meterologist or water management engineer to understand how rain deficits effect lake levels, dam water release, supply and demand. It's not like running out of milk and running up to the store - when the water reserves are depleted, there is no water!
My thoughts wandered to a mission run I did to the Florida Gulf Coast after the Hurricane Ivan devastation - Americans standing in line for water and food with police standing guard at ration stations and army helicopters armed with machine guns policing the areas for looters, Americans struggling to survive - an experience I will never forget and hope no one will have to endure. I pray for solutions and hope our leaders will step up to the plate.
Patsy Turner Hall County GA Real Estate We need to tell the elected officials we will not vote for them
again. They need to be responsible for their actions or inaction. It is beyond scary. If you think we have trouble now...just wait a few months. Then the same lame politicians will be standing in line with us with more empty promises and finger-pointing!
So, does anyone have any thoughts about stockpiling drinking water? The news paper reported yesterday that many people probably out of embarasement are buying only a little extra water whenever they are at the store. I personally notice the larger containers of water at Costco and Public's are lower than usual.
Should I start buying water as well? Perhaps I should buy some large containers and fill them with water.
Regards,
The Robinsons
Thank you for your inquiry. The way I see it, it couldn't hurt since the politicians still do not have a definitive plan! A few extra cases of water could not hurt. I noticed the same thing in Wal-Mart the person stocking the water seemed worn out..and the shelves were kind of bare..considering he had just restocked. That was 2 weeeks ago.
PS I recently heard that two major companies considering relocating to the Atlanta area, decided not to because of lack of natural water resources.
It probably would be a very good idea to start packing and leave Atlanta before the 90 days ends. People won't stop using water enough and even bother to curb their growth. I don't think that any sane person is going to buy real estate in Atlanta or Georgia. Naturally, the realtors will act like there is no problem in order to hold on to their businesses.
Until it is too late, that is.
Please do not confuse Atlanta with the rest of Georgia. The drought in south and middle Georgia is not as serious as metro Atlanta. Macon has an abundance of water and Lakes Oconee and Sinclair are almost full.
From what I can tell in Atlanta, people are taking the drought very seriously. I suspect that this is a wake-up call to being very serious with water for the future. That, and having the three GOP governors (Georgia, Alabama, and Florida) appeal to the GOP President over the Chattahoochee River water has removed partisan bickering and allowed the issue to be directly confronted.
Haha. The demise of Atlanta won't affect the rest of Georgia? Well now, I guess I was worried for nothing. The people from Atlanta can just pack up their stuff and head to Lakes Oconee and Sinclair where water is a-plenty! No worries.
Hey, why not 'just' move the whole city of Atlanta to Lake Oconee? That lake should be able to support Atlanta. After all, it's FULL!
HEY ATLANTA! Did you hear? Lake Oconee has PLENTY of water. We'll just pump the water from there to Atlanta. No problem. What about the residents near Lake Oconee?
What about them? They have plenty of water for Atlanta!
Great blog Jim. You would be amazed at the number of people and businesses that are not taking this seriously.
Last week, I drove by a business (a mulch supplier) that had an employee washing down their driveway with an industrial sized/high pressure water hose. Water was puddled on their property, the driveway was clean and he continued to spray! I drove back by 3 or 4 times and he was still spraying. I called Cherokee County water to report this misuse and was told that "they most likely have permission to clean their driveway to prevent mud from getting on the highway". Are you kidding me? I was appalled. Who cares about the possibility of a little mud on the highway when we are looking at running out of water in 90+/- days?!?! Perhaps the focus should be on having drinking water, being able to shower, flush, wash dishes or clothes, etc.?!?!?!
Also, there are some (a few) lush green lawns that I pass (in my community) on the way to my brown spotted/dry lawn. How can this be? I have neighbors that are still washing their cars...... What is wrong with people? My household is putting time limits on showers and limiting all water usage. I take this very seriously and I can't understand the general lack of concern all around.
Before I step off my soap box.... I feel that new laws/codes need to be implemented for new construction with regard to plumbing. Why can't water that goes down the drain from showers/bathtubs, washing machines, dishwashers, sinks, etc. be directed to fill/flush toilets or irrigation, etc.? This could be a step in the right direction for water conservation.
Sorry about the lengthy comment. You hit a nerve! =o) Great post!
Michelle Miller, REALTOR® Thanks for your response! By the way, it was not too lengthy, and was very informative. I agree fully with you that there needs to be some type of new teeth or legislation that corrects this. I go back to the the politicians are greatly to blame. As I mentioned earlier that is why no one is even stepping up to the plate to speak out because they know they have done NOTHING to fend this off. They were all too greedy getting fat, and not doing their jobs serving the public need.
It is going to effect business already here, and this bad PR will keep other business from relocating here. A lack of natural resources, no cohesive planning, and not conducive to the needs of businesses that want to grow!
And if God DOESN'T send the rain? Then what? THEN will people stop the growth? Will Starbuck's Atlanta say "Sorry, we're only allowed to sell 50 cups of coffee a day, no growth." Will the carwashers only wash 5 cars a day? Will they now say "Sorry contruction companies, no more building new houses! You're all out of business, Atlanta is a 'no growth' city."
No new schools, no new hospitals, no new day care centers, no construction at all. No new births, no new businesses. Atlanta will have to stop all growth and REVERSE it. It'll probably one of the first cities to do so. I doubt it though. I seriously doubt it.
If the people in Metro Atlanta would make a small effort, it would make a big difference! I love the bucket idea for catching the shower water as it warms up!
Patty Keller, AnotherME
Irony is that I had someone last Summer not move to Tucson because they were afraid of water issues here. I hope they find a resolution to the problem
Anne
That's it, blame the leaders. It couldn't possibly be OUR fault. You elect leaders who tell you want to hear and then get all surprised by their ineffectiveness? Stop producing new water users (that's right, BABIES). No new births, no new users, no growth of any kind. And if you don't do this, would you want your leaders to force it on you? You won't do it willingly, so what is there to be done??? You tell me!
Hey, I heard that the PRAYER worked. IT RAINED THE NEXT DAY after Governor Perdue prayed. OK, crisis OVER. Everyone get back to work and I don't want to hear anymore stinking belly-aching and crying over the water!
How about a PRAYER PIPELINE straight to heaven??? What everyone could do is pray holding hands.
Waitaminute! I thought the water crisis is OVER!???!? Governor Perdue prayed for rain and it RAINED!!! Crisis over and done. Everyone shut up about it already and get back to making the economy grow. For Pete's sake! I see a lot of lack of faith going on in this thread. You should all BE ASHAMED!!
Mr. or Ms. "Prayer Answered",
You obviously don't understand the magnitude of this problem and the horrible affect that it could have on our residents and our economy. I really do not feel that this is a joking matter and I, for one do not appreciate the way that some are speaking inappropriately with regard to prayer and even one brave soul pretending to be "the Lord". Regardless of beliefs, we should be respectful when speaking about or making reference to religion. Don't you think?!?!
This is what used to be BEAUTIFUL Lake Allatoona.....
Lake Allatoona ~ Kellogg Creek Cove (11-9-2007)
Kellogg Creek Cove ~ Pic 2 (11-9-2007)
Glade Marina at Lake Allatoona. (11-13-2007)
The docks won't be in water much longer if things keep going as they are.
So before you comment in a negative or joking manner, please realize the serious nature of our circumstances here in Georgia.
Thank you.
Michelle
Michelle Miller, REALTOR® I agree with you fully. For the time being I have turned off anonymous responses....I have debated deleteing the posts...but have not as of yet.