Water crisis in Georgia
Governor sues Army Corps over water
Even win won't solve state's crisis
By BILL SANDERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/19/07
While the occasional drop of rain dotted Atlanta on Friday, the biggest development in Georgia's water crisis played out in a Florida courthouse.
As expected, lawyers for Gov. Sonny Perdue asked a federal judge to force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the release of Lake Lanier waters to Florida until March 1.
DEALING WITH THE DROUGHT:
Possible solution: Extend ban through summer '08
A guide to the new landscape: What you can and can't water
Map of counties under state restrictions
Watering garden during ban requires creativity
Q&A: New realities of watering ban
Attorney Todd Silliman, who filed the motion in the U.S. Middle District of Florida on behalf of Perdue, said he did not know when the court would consider Georgia's request.
Even if Georgia gets its way, state officials say slowing the flow downstream will not solve metro Atlanta's water woes.
But with a countdown of readily available drinking water remaining in Lanier - about 80 days, according to the state - Perdue said in a statement that he believed he had to act.
In the lawsuit, filed late Friday in Jacksonville, the state contends "that the risk that the system will be drained of all or nearly all conservation storage is not speculative and it is not remote.
"In fact, the projections upon which this motion is based come directly from the corps."
Perdue is scheduled to hold a news conference this morning at Lanier, where he'll talk further about the state's efforts on the water crisis.
Georgia claims "the benefit of granting the motion is that it will materially reduce the risk of a catastrophic loss of total system storage.
"On the other side of the equation, granting the motion will unfortunately result in flows in the Apalachicola below 5,000 cfs (cubic feet per second; 5,000 cfs is 3.2 billion gallons a day)."
Even win won't solve state's crisis
By BILL SANDERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/19/07
While the occasional drop of rain dotted Atlanta on Friday, the biggest development in Georgia's water crisis played out in a Florida courthouse.
As expected, lawyers for Gov. Sonny Perdue asked a federal judge to force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the release of Lake Lanier waters to Florida until March 1.
DEALING WITH THE DROUGHT:
Possible solution: Extend ban through summer '08
A guide to the new landscape: What you can and can't water
Map of counties under state restrictions
Watering garden during ban requires creativity
Q&A: New realities of watering ban
Attorney Todd Silliman, who filed the motion in the U.S. Middle District of Florida on behalf of Perdue, said he did not know when the court would consider Georgia's request.
Even if Georgia gets its way, state officials say slowing the flow downstream will not solve metro Atlanta's water woes.
But with a countdown of readily available drinking water remaining in Lanier - about 80 days, according to the state - Perdue said in a statement that he believed he had to act.
In the lawsuit, filed late Friday in Jacksonville, the state contends "that the risk that the system will be drained of all or nearly all conservation storage is not speculative and it is not remote.
"In fact, the projections upon which this motion is based come directly from the corps."
Perdue is scheduled to hold a news conference this morning at Lanier, where he'll talk further about the state's efforts on the water crisis.
Georgia claims "the benefit of granting the motion is that it will materially reduce the risk of a catastrophic loss of total system storage.
"On the other side of the equation, granting the motion will unfortunately result in flows in the Apalachicola below 5,000 cfs (cubic feet per second; 5,000 cfs is 3.2 billion gallons a day)."
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There is a total outdoor watering ban in all of metro Atlanta, no washing of cars, either. In one metro county, Douglas, if a person is caught watering his lawn, his water is shut off and a lock put on the meter.
Car washing is still permitted at commercial car washes, although they may be closed down in a week or two.
The main source of water for Atlanta, Lake Lanier, will go dry in 81 days. This is a huge lake about 40 miles long and 30 miles wide, or, that is how big it used to be.
I grew up in Atlanta. I lived there for 45 years. I watched Atlanta grow from a little Southern city of 400,000 people, to a megalopolis of 5 million. I watched in dismay, as the oak groves were bulldozed for new shopping centers. I saw pastures paved and turned into subdivisions.
Atlanta never saw an application for a building permit that it didn't like.
When I was a kid, there was no Perimeter highway. They built the Perimeter highway in 1968, it was 4 lanes. Now it is 12 lanes, and still not big enough. Every day it is crowded with horrible traffic jams. Y'all who live in blessed areas like South Dakota cannot comprehend what it is like to be sitting on a 12 lane interstate, stuck in a traffic jam, moving a mile in an hour. It will drive a man insane.
I hated all the growth, the tearing down of the old buildings and the trees. I hated the crowds and traffic and crime. So I left Atlanta.
In Atlanta's pathological mania for growth, they never figured on a drought.
So, is there not enough water, or too many people?0 -
Georgia has a water problem??? Our fishing lake of 85 acres is now bone dry......27 lakes in our area have dried up do to the state pumping water from one county to another. Depleting the aquafers in one area to supply another area.... [:(] 0 -
But it's okay folks - global climate change is just a bumper sticker.
Just wait 137 years and the natural cycle will bring us all back to what we're used to![:D]0 -
Actually "man-made" global climate change is the bumper sticker. 0 -
Too many people.
Everywhere.
The human race NEEDS a global catastrophe.
Maybe a nuke war in Asia - India vs Pakistan vs China vs Russia. And Israel vs the entire Middle East.
That oughtta clear things up, and another upside is that it might create a nuclear winter, so we could hunt polar bear, again.
Doug0 -
I heard on the radio the other day that unless everybody obeys the water regulations, Greensboro will be dry by the end of the month, and if they do obey the regulations it will give them a few more weeks. The backwaters of Buggs Island Lake are gone and the lake is on its way to being dry. We could use some rain. 0 -
I can donate whats in my pool.[:D] 0 -
You think the good Lord is trying to tell us something? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by beneteau
You think the good Lord is trying to tell us something?
no0 -
LOLOLOL, ATLANTA THE STINKEST CITY IN AMERICA 0 -
The Corps is not at fault. The Endangered Species Actwill not allow them to stop the water release. [:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!] 
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quote:Originally posted by Old Fool
The Corps is not at fault. The Endangered Species Actwill not allow them to stop the water release. [:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]
screw the endangered species act here, we are talking about some dang mussells! NOBODY REALLY CARES! SHUT OFF THE WATER! AND YES TOO MANY PEOPLE!0 -
The Corps cannot "screw the Endangered Species Act. It happens to be a Federal Law. Congress needs to act to pass a law excepting the requirements. The Supreme Court MIGHT set precedent by allowing it, but it would be a poor precedent. Of course, getting Congress to act is nearly impossible. [:(] 0 -
Tack it on to a proposed pay raise for members of Congress...the paper will still be hot from the printer when its approved... 0 -
When there ain't no water they will quit sending water down the line. How are the posy sniffers and tree huggers going to enforce their law then? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by joker5656
LOLOLOL, ATLANTA THE STINKEST CITY IN AMERICA
Then I take it you haven't been to Newark or Orange. Not to mention New Orleans, Houston, San Francisco, New York City or the ever popular Washington, DC. And that's just a few of the ones in AMERICA. [:D] [:D] [:D]0 -
Water shortages will be more common in the future. It just seems like there is a lot more demand than supply. Not only in the southeast, a lot of America is going to have problems. 0 -
Why not divert the water that's (allegedly) causing sea levels to raise from (allegedly) melting glaciers to Atlanta? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Rocklobster
Why not divert the water that's (allegedly) causing sea levels to raise from (allegedly) melting glaciers to Atlanta?
Planning on digging a canal?0 -
Well, like maybe in between closing down coal-burning power plants worldwide, re-planting the Amazon Jungle, and walking to work instead of driving our SUV, we could like build a pipeline from Glacier National Park down to Lake Lanier and kill two birds with one stone: we could like decrease the rise in sea level from one inch every hundred years to a half inch every hundred years, and like keep all those Georgians from dying of thirst simultaneously. [8D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Old Fool
The Endangered Species Actwill not allow them to stop the water release. Read BR's post about lakes bone dry in her neck of the woods. A lot of water from the GA area is pumped/released into the Panhandle region of FL for the mussels.
BR's post says it all. Not only the mussels are affected but also the sportsman (and sportswoman[:)]) who can't fish in their dry lakes.
The problem is the overpopulation in Atlanta and of course, the drought.0 -
Damn...I thought you said "waIter" crises !!
I worried that my crystal wouldn't be all sparkly.
Doug0 -
it's gonna be a real bad scene when the water runs out[xx(] 0 -
Yes, I thing God is sending us a message. Christians need to be doing some serious praying, not just for rain, but for our country. 0 -
California could use some too! 0 -
We got a little rain in our area of TN today. Thank God! 0 -
I asked this guy to come down off his high horse and start dancing!
[img][/img]
Should start raining soon.
[:D]
It rained in Stafford, Virginia today...see it's already working.0 -
I'm going to start buying cases of bottled water now even though I'm no where near GA. I just know the price of my water will go up when it's all being diverted to GA 0 -
Flew into and out of Atlanta a few times earlier this month - it's amazing to
see the (low) water levels at the lakes/reservoirs, etc. Atlanta's in trouble.0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
There is a total outdoor watering ban in all of metro Atlanta, no washing of cars, either. In one metro county, Douglas, if a person is caught watering his lawn, his water is shut off and a lock put on the meter.
Car washing is still permitted at commercial car washes, although they may be closed down in a week or two.
The main source of water for Atlanta, Lake Lanier, will go dry in 81 days. This is a huge lake about 40 miles long and 30 miles wide, or, that is how big it used to be.
I grew up in Atlanta. I lived there for 45 years. I watched Atlanta grow from a little Southern city of 400,000 people, to a megalopolis of 5 million. I watched in dismay, as the oak groves were bulldozed for new shopping centers. I saw pastures paved and turned into subdivisions.
Atlanta never saw an application for a building permit that it didn't like.
When I was a kid, there was no Perimeter highway. They built the Perimeter highway in 1968, it was 4 lanes. Now it is 12 lanes, and still not big enough. Every day it is crowded with horrible traffic jams. Y'all who live in blessed areas like South Dakota cannot comprehend what it is like to be sitting on a 12 lane interstate, stuck in a traffic jam, moving a mile in an hour. It will drive a man insane.
I hated all the growth, the tearing down of the old buildings and the trees. I hated the crowds and traffic and crime. So I left Atlanta.
In Atlanta's pathological mania for growth, they never figured on a drought.
So, is there not enough water, or too many people?
I disagree with your politics, but I do love your stories and therre is some truth in this one. Reminds me of an old John Anderson song.
Dixe's got a facelift.
Guess she's lookin better,
but I kind of liked the old one.
Never will forget her.
So rather than admit the people of Atlanta of populated the area or they did some poor planning of resources, they say "Give me your water." They look to the federal government for a solution.
Yes, I suspect in the next 4 years there will be talk of a national water policy.0
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