Comments on: Outdoor watering restrictions WILL continue for the city at Atlanta http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/ Keeping you informed about the Georgia drought. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:18:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Craig http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2938 Craig Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:08:10 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2938 Susan and RichS, In the Governor's press release February 6, he stated that pool water usage accounts for less than 1% of daily water usage in Atlanta while landscaping accounts for approximately 10%. Plus Susan, as mentioned in other blogs on this website, there are numerous benefits to swimming pools over landscaping: namely healthy recreation for our citizens, swim team programs and learn to swim programs (a vital lifesaving skill that everyone should have), senior citizen programs, maintaining quality of life, maintaining property values and emergency use water (swimming pools are reservoirs). Plus keeping pools closed causes public health issues, whereas dead grass does not. I feel sorry for the landscaping industry, too. They are suffering really hard, but they are the easiest thing to cut to have the biggest impact on water conservation. Pools have a minimal impact and the benefit they provide to the community far outweighs the little bit of water they use. Susan and RichS,

In the Governor’s press release February 6, he stated that pool water usage accounts for less than 1% of daily water usage in Atlanta while landscaping accounts for approximately 10%.

Plus Susan, as mentioned in other blogs on this website, there are numerous benefits to swimming pools over landscaping: namely healthy recreation for our citizens, swim team programs and learn to swim programs (a vital lifesaving skill that everyone should have), senior citizen programs, maintaining quality of life, maintaining property values and emergency use water (swimming pools are reservoirs). Plus keeping pools closed causes public health issues, whereas dead grass does not.

I feel sorry for the landscaping industry, too. They are suffering really hard, but they are the easiest thing to cut to have the biggest impact on water conservation. Pools have a minimal impact and the benefit they provide to the community far outweighs the little bit of water they use.

]]> By: RichS http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2910 RichS Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:20:08 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2910 For once I agree with JohnC. I personally haven't watered my lawn in years, but I remember when I did, my water bill was probably triple what it normally is. That's a LOT of water use. And that's not water that's going back into the sewer system. As Mickey has made the point in his latest post, if you are on sewer, water you use inside your house largely gets recycled and sent downstream which means we release less water from Lanier. Not so for lawn watering. That water is effectively gone & not recycled. I feel sorry for the landscaping industry. I understand their loss may already be in the billions. Nevertheless, in a drought, the pretty lawn has to be the first casualty. For once I agree with JohnC. I personally haven’t watered my lawn in years, but I remember when I did, my water bill was probably triple what it normally is. That’s a LOT of water use. And that’s not water that’s going back into the sewer system.

As Mickey has made the point in his latest post, if you are on sewer, water you use inside your house largely gets recycled and sent downstream which means we release less water from Lanier. Not so for lawn watering. That water is effectively gone & not recycled.

I feel sorry for the landscaping industry. I understand their loss may already be in the billions. Nevertheless, in a drought, the pretty lawn has to be the first casualty.

]]> By: JohnC http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2904 JohnC Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:37:58 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2904 Someone mentioned that it didn't take much water to maintain the swimming pools. It just gets toped off every now and recycles the same water when you are cleaning it or filtering. There is no reason to lift the watering ban this spring... not a good time to replant whatever died off. Watering a lawn takes about as much as an entire house. Someone mentioned that it didn’t take much water to maintain the swimming pools. It just gets toped off every now and recycles the same water when you are cleaning it or filtering.

There is no reason to lift the watering ban this spring… not a good time to replant whatever died off.

Watering a lawn takes about as much as an entire house.

]]> By: richs http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2903 richs Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:35:16 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2903 The truth is Susan that the impact of filling swimming pools is negligible while the combined impact of all the people who normally water their lawns throughout the summer is significant. Whether one is a better use than the other - I would probably side with the families who have kids playing in a pool over the people who just want to have a nice looking lawn so their neigbors will envy them. Agree or disagree, lawn watering in the metro area accounts for much more water use than filling swimming pools. I'm going to guess 100 to 1. Does anyone have actual data?? The truth is Susan that the impact of filling swimming pools is negligible while the combined impact of all the people who normally water their lawns throughout the summer is significant.

Whether one is a better use than the other - I would probably side with the families who have kids playing in a pool over the people who just want to have a nice looking lawn so their neigbors will envy them. Agree or disagree, lawn watering in the metro area accounts for much more water use than filling swimming pools. I’m going to guess 100 to 1. Does anyone have actual data??

]]> By: Susan http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2891 Susan Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:12:13 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2891 I'm just curious... What sense it has if the watering is band but you can fill your pool? I know, that the people bought them to swim in them and not to watch them, but anyway the water which is in the pool can be used more efficiently. I’m just curious… What sense it has if the watering is band but you can fill your pool? I know, that the people bought them to swim in them and not to watch them, but anyway the water which is in the pool can be used more efficiently.

]]> By: SouthSideNative http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2889 SouthSideNative Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:21:22 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2889 ?What kept Lanier from plummeting so far during the drought of 2000-02?Wasnt the ACE releasing the same amounts then?As I recall it didnt rain much in '00,'01,or '02,and then in '03,'04 & '05 there was heavy flooding during hurricane season.The period between '06-present is mimicking '00-'02,with no major hurricanes.Arent we about due for a wet hurricane season? And Im curious,the wiki says that the city of College Park gets 0 water from Lanier though Fulton county gets some of its water from the Chattahoochee.Im in Cpk and Fulton,so does a portion of my water come from Chattahoochie/Lanier?(pardon my ignorance) ?What kept Lanier from plummeting so far during the drought of 2000-02?Wasnt the ACE releasing the same amounts then?As I recall it didnt rain much in ‘00,’01,or ‘02,and then in ‘03,’04 & ‘05 there was heavy flooding during hurricane season.The period between ‘06-present is mimicking ‘00-’02,with no major hurricanes.Arent we about due for a wet hurricane season?
And Im curious,the wiki says that the city of College Park gets 0 water from Lanier though Fulton county gets some of its water from the Chattahoochee.Im in Cpk and Fulton,so does a portion of my water come from Chattahoochie/Lanier?(pardon my ignorance)

]]> By: richs http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2887 richs Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:02:21 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2887 Jay, that's certainly why it dropped so fast last fall, but discharge rates are pretty reasonable right now. You can see here that our average discharge rate in January was 790 CF/S, and it has reduced to around 640 for February. http://water.sam.usace.army.mil/gage/acf/prob2.txt Somewhere around that 600 level is probably the number that needs to be released to supply Atlanta's needs with enough overhead to keep Atlanta's sewage diluted with plenty of clean water for downstream users. One theory is that the smaller ponds etc., have to fill up first and then their overflow will fill Lanier. Jay, that’s certainly why it dropped so fast last fall, but discharge rates are pretty reasonable right now. You can see here that our average discharge rate in January was 790 CF/S, and it has reduced to around 640 for February.

http://water.sam.usace.army.mil/gage/acf/prob2.txt

Somewhere around that 600 level is probably the number that needs to be released to supply Atlanta’s needs with enough overhead to keep Atlanta’s sewage diluted with plenty of clean water for downstream users.

One theory is that the smaller ponds etc., have to fill up first and then their overflow will fill Lanier.

]]> By: Jay+Randal http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2880 Jay+Randal Sat, 23 Feb 2008 03:10:17 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2880 The main reason Lake Lanier is not refilling is that ACE keeps releasing more water each day, from Buford Dam, than enters the reservoir from its watershed. At some point the citizens of Georgia are going to have to file lawsuits to stop the excessive water releases. What is basically happening is Lanier is being used to recharge Lake Seminole, so 3+ billion gallons of water can be released daily from Woodruff Dam into Florida. Come summer we will see if Lanier is drained completely or not. The main reason Lake Lanier is not refilling is that ACE keeps releasing more water each day, from Buford Dam, than enters the reservoir from its watershed. At some point the citizens of Georgia are going to have to file lawsuits to stop the excessive water releases. What is basically happening is Lanier is being used to recharge Lake Seminole, so 3+ billion gallons of water can be released daily from Woodruff Dam into Florida. Come summer we will see if Lanier is drained completely or not.

]]> By: mickey http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2878 mickey Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:06:23 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2878 Sorry, but I don't. Maybe someone else will be able to help. Sorry. Sorry, but I don’t. Maybe someone else will be able to help. Sorry.

]]> By: SouthSideNative http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2877 SouthSideNative Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:05:23 +0000 http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/20080219/outdoor-watering-restrictions-will-continue-for-the-city-at-atlanta/#comment-2877 Mickey,do you(or anyone else)have a link for more info on Sweetwater Creek/George Sparks resoivoir/city of College Park water supply? Mickey,do you(or anyone else)have a link for more info on Sweetwater Creek/George Sparks resoivoir/city of College Park water supply?

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