How do we fix the problem?
This is the big question. Some think prayer might help, but no one things it will fix the problem, and inspiring our kids to get more involved might be of value in 15 years. What about for now?
While we need a worst-case scenario plan in place (like in Lawrenceville), we also need to come up with two other plans:
1 - A short-term plan to get us into better shape for now.
2 - A long-term plan to fix it for good.
Our state government, to this point, is doing very little to help. The water restrictions are still way too lenient, and the water will still flow far too quickly from Lanier even with a 16% reduction (which I expected to hear about today, but so far there is no news).
How about a long-term solution? Jay Bookman at the AJC has written a nice Opinion piece that compares our situation to that of New York. The comparisons are quite surprising:
- Alabama, Florida, Georgia share the ACF watershed
- New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey share the Delaware River watershed
- Atlanta draws most of its water from the upper Chattahoochee
- New York draws most of its water from the upper Delaware watershed
- Atlanta has to worry about endangered mussels
- New York has to worry about endangered mussels
The difference is that they make it work, while we obviously can’t. The article lays out a fairly simple plan for fixing the problem:
Well, if the three states can’t agree on a resolution, maybe they can agree to submit to a process and a deadline. We should assemble a panel of outside experts, give them a year and a sufficient budget, and then make their final recommendations binding on all three states and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. You take out the politics and the posturing, and you get a decision based on the facts of the case.
November 15th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Wow, that is a good read. And a good suggestion, excepting the timeline - Atlanta doesn’t have a year. Without question, the issue of flow from Buford Dam will become critical before that - first when you hit the deadpool and have to find a way to pump water over the dam, and then how much to pump over (Alabama and Florida wanting continuing levels, Georgia wanting the minimum necessary for it’s needs). Then, feasably within that same year, comes the “oh crap, now the lake is DRY” issue.
Give the panel a month for the immediate need of a pumping solution and pumping livel. Then three months for a medium term solution, then a year for a long term, ongoing solution. The same panel could probably handle all three.
November 15th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I think prayer would actually FIX the problem.
November 15th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
I don’t think Alabama and Florida will agree to less than their legal share the water.
There is no such thing as a panel of experts.
Dream on.
I think everyone will have to cut back when supplies are short.
But has Atlanta exceeded it’s capacity of fresh water? Or will there be no planning or restrictions?
November 15th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
The fact is JohnC, that this is being DONE elsewhere. It’s not impossible.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
… sorry, hit enter too fast. To amend though - I agree with the Dream On part.
I just don’t see anyone budging without some serious brow-beating.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I’m just being realistic. There isn’t enough water to go around.
I hope they find a solution. But if not this is going to the highest courts if one side feels they are not getting their share.
Just my 2 cents.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Just wanted to add that was a great read! And a great website!
I’m just not convinced that when push comes to shove anyone is going to settle this issue with a panel of experts.
keep the articles coming though! I’m learning a lot here.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
You have got to be kidding. A “panel of experts” will solve the problem? How??
That’s not a solution. That’s bureaucratic posturing. Panels of experts haven’t solved the Iraq war, nuclear proliferation, or any other pressing problems that I can think of.
Georgia will solve this when its leaders realize that our infrastructure cannot support unrestricted growth. Period. Stop the building permits. Period. That would solve a lot of other problems, such as horrendous traffic, also.
Get real folks. No “panel of experts” is going to solve this problem. Jay Bookman is a Democratic idiot.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
No, you get real. I could care less what political party he is from and that really should not even enter into this. At the very least he’s offering some possible solutions that no matter if you like then or not go a heck of a lot farther than what Sonny has come up with.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
i can’t begin to comprehend the Calmness of the local TV sites i have viewed in atlalta area online ….. about upcoming Sci Fi movie senario of Atlanta’s fate….. ,i guess the less said the better ….i live in florida and i wonder about sanitation and Hospitals being able deal with sick people…. and how does everyone stay clean ?????? may People wake up to the seriousness of the Situation and figure out thier plan B….before things get too strange ….
November 15th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
I repeat: saying we should convene a “panel of experts” is not a solution. That’s like saying let’s have a meeting about it. How creative. A solution would be what the “panel of experts” actually come up with.
I have lived right in the middle of metro Atlanta (Va. Highlands/Morningside) and I am not worried about it now. Maybe it will cause businesses and people to quit moving here. Maybe there will be an exodus of lots of people. Fine with me. There are too many here now.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Carol,
If it was just a panel of experts, you would be right. But the suggestion was specifically, a panel of experts whose decisions would be legally binding on all three states. And this method HAS been shown to work - a real world example similar to the problem at hand was even offered. Did you read the opinion piece?
November 17th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
rkolter,
You read one article on the internet and now you are an expert?
November 17th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Carol, how do you explain the workable situation in New York? It’s working! Georgia is doing nothing. Duh. Georgians elect Republican morons and get what they deserve. Oh, and how is the traffic working out?
November 20th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
This is a great site. This current water problem is solvable but its a generational issue as well as a 2007 issue. The drought will come back again. Atlanta has simply out developed its base water supply and avoided investments without immediate payoffs - water is boring and people think its free.
I’m from NY and grew up within walking distance from one of the NYC reservoirs (Croton Lake). NY engineered a massive system reaching 150 miles - all the way up into the Catskill Mountains over 100 years ago. Once again its an example of generational ethics of the prior generations, they built a high efficient system in anticipation of the need of future unborn generations. They gave FUTURE NYC the water they have today. My grandfather actually worked for the city water department and patroled the lakes in Westchester looking for transgressions aginst the purity of the water. The system has dozens of lakes tied together with aquaducts that move the water in stages by elevation. The dams, fedder, streams, aquaducts, and lakes are all highly protected watershed with ZERO houses or development on the banks and NYC owns all the land. No power boats, no swimming, just row boats for fishing - no exceptions. The NY water is very clean as a and need minimal treartment as a result. It is all gravity fed (no energy needed to pump). The big deep lakes ,giant flooded valleys with dams, in the mountains catch water and pass it down into a massive managed storage lake capacity down closer to the users. There are underground tunnels in NY that bring the water into the city. The NY suburbs DO NOT draw water from these city systems, they are on thier own. The little towns in the catskills can’t encroach on the lakes (they try and develop close by), but NYC owns the surrounding hills and protects them. Good luck getting anything like this in Atlanta - that would take real TAXES and big investment that would really benefit the NEXT two generations - FAT CHANCE. GA is all little counties that seek to avoid systemic costs and real investment other than roads for sticking new houses on. At some level the model is flawed - it needs ‘growth’ to sustain moition but cannot support what it builds as it ages and it moves to consume a new ring of development. Add higher energy costs of $100+ oil & 5$ gas and the far out commuter burbs become rather questionable. We live in interesting times.
November 20th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
Found a map of the NYC water source:
http://nyc.gov/html/dep/html/drinking_water/maplevels_wide.shtmlhave
Check the sizes of the lakes in the north.
Upstate Capacity: 547 Billion Gal
Downstate (near the city:
November 20th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Found a map of the NYC water source
The scale is huge, they were planning way ahead.
http://nyc.gov/html/dep/html/drinking_water/maplevels_wide.shtmlhave
SERVES ABOUT 9 Million People in NYC
Check the sizes of the lakes in the north.
Upstate Capacity: 547 Billion Gal!
Downstate: 86 billion!
Total Capacity 633 Billion
Current % filled: 77% fillied
Daily Used: 1.12 Bil
Water On Hand: 400+ days - if it does not rain or snow. It rains and snows a lot in the Catskills moutains.
Interesting. Atlanta awould have to buy and annex huge tracts in the northern counties of GA (gotta be UPHILL from Atl) now to build something like that. Good grief Atlanta - stop washing your cars and watering your grass!