Atlanta running out of water. What climate change?

Lake Lanier, located north of the city. Hunter said it provides water for one-third of the residents of Georgia.

He said that now there is enough water in Lanier to serve the area for 121 days.


http://www.wsbtv.com/news/14320447/detail.html

Down here in south Georgia, we have average rainfall, but the north is dry as a bone.

and they were using more than was being put in for decades. Do you have some research of the last 200 years of rainfall totals to see if it's caused by Global Warming?

our reservoirs and rivers are at record lows as well.

Consumption is only an issue if adequate replenishment is not available (And drought is the current culprit for lack of replenishment).

And Climate change is an ever increasing contributor to regional droughts and flooding.

there is no way that the drought can be responsible for a 15FT drop in a HUGE lake like Lanier in a meer 7 months...Lanier has always suffered from lower levels during the summer...each year it gets worse. I see it just about every day with my own eyes. Yes, the drought is compounding the problem...but the management of that water is the biggest culprit here...

sP

The question that springs to my mind is: What water? How can you say it's primarily poor management of the water if the water is not there to manage? Managing a water supply, even if it's to a consistent level of depletion taking into account average yearly rainfall does not account for the fact that the level at this time is so far below where it would have been had natural replenishment occurred normally.

So is that relative lack of water due to climate change? I would say probably it is, but that's difficult to prove.

Here in this area of GA the growth has literally exploded...and all people seem to ever think about for population growth are roads and schools. But, hey, nevermind that lake over there (out of which we get our water) that is getting lower and lower each year. The growth and poor management of that growth (and other management factors on Lanier) is going to kill this lake and have a lot of people scratching their heads saying, "What now?"

The relative lack of water then falls to the fact that one side of the equation continues to grow (water usage) whilst the other side of the equation remains static (supply). The real impact hits us when a regional drought such as we are in now, impacts what is otherwise the static side of the equation...then you have growing demand (which can be controlled) and shrinking supply (which cannot).

THAT equation = lake 15ft below full pool going into a predicted dry fall...

sP

for this problem. We had a visit from a native born Georgian who was stunned at how lush and soft our lawns were in late August. I think It's normal for it to be dry in Georgia then. Move a lot of people into the area who insist on watering their lawns to achieve that lushness, and you've got a problem. Our concept of what a lawn should look like goes back to the site of an English country estate. There are very few spots in this country with that kind of rainfall.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Is that what Mommy taught you in homeschool?

that is a known fact...this poster was asking if there was a correlation between global warming and rainfall totals...i would venture that answer is no as a warmer earth would cause more water vapor in the atmosphere and stronger storms...hell, I was in Kingston upon Hull in the UK last week and maybe someone should ask them if they believe global warming has caused a decrease in rainfall...

the drought is regional...not global...water levels declining is due primarily to the management of the lake...the drought is compounding it but not the major contributor...

sP

it is several things...

1) Drought (yep...really dry here)
2) Poor water management by the Army Corps of Engineers
3) Demand for water downstream for mussels in FL
4) Hydroelectric generation needs to move LARGE amounts of water out of Lanier
5) Tremendous and mostly unrestricted growth
6) Greed of people that MUST have green lawns despite arid conditions

I just drove over Lake Oconee in eastern GA...and it was full to the brim (well, ok, a couple of feet down MAX) and that region has seen as little rain as the Lanier area...this is not just a drought, folks...the prime reason for the lake to be the way it is...unrestricted growth...

sP
Damn

that is running south of Columbia, SC and across southern Georgia and Florida. Is Lake Oconee south of Atlanta?

We are still completely dry in upstate SC. From here to the mountains, it is dead dry.

similar in rain levels to ATL. The only REAL difference here is who is USING the water...not how much is coming down...

sP

and now I would have to be superman to accomplish that feat...

Oconee does have fingers that are much further south, but the fact is, Lanier is 15FT below full pool...that is not just drought...that cannot be the only explanation for those levels.

sP

they came to an agreement. what it was I don't know. maybe they are taking your water for Disneyland, or the military bases in northern Fl.???

In order to help conserve water, people don't just need to restrict their water use, but also cut down on their ELECTRICITY use as well - since hydroelectric power is what the people in that region depend on.

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

Especially #s 5 and 6.

There has long been speculation that water will soon replace oil as the thing most fought for. Never occured to me that Atlanta would have this problem. Thought Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco would be first.

They have less than 100 days of water left.

There hasn't been a significant rainfall here since JULY. It is as scary as hell. The jet stream is stuck in a pattern which keeps shifting the rain north and south of about a five state area.

Frederick, MD only has a 60 day supply in the reservoirs. Fairfax, VA has imposed water restrictions. The rest of the DC area is in similar shape. It is the drought, but what has caused the drought.

learning how to retrieve rain should be on reading lists.

how-to books on your shelf today, may save your life tomorrow.

We have rain barrels around the barn. They are empty.

Not knocking the suggestion, but we are really hurting for rain here.

The aggravating thing is when a front rolls in all swollen with rain.

And not one single drop falls or it just spits. I've got a bunch of crops I gotta get to market next week and after that irrigation will be iffy at best.

hope you do

"Global warming is junk science made up by the loony left who hate America and want us to lose the war in Iraq and have no core."

Now... are you clear?

When the southeastern Pacific is colder (La Nina) there is less rain in the southern US. But as I understand it, the oscillation changes have been coming closer together, which is the possible climate change factor. With the South in drought, it's not good to hear that a La Nina is supposed to be coming.

GO HERE for La Nina info:

http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/lanina.html

Typical La Niña Impacts
La Niña tends to bring nearly opposite effects of El Niño to the United States — wetter than normal conditions across the Pacific Northwest and dryer and warmer than normal conditions across much of the southern tier. The impacts of El Niño and La Niña at these latitudes are most clearly seen in wintertime. In the continental U.S., during El Niño years, temperatures in the winter are warmer than normal in the North Central States, and cooler than normal in the Southeast and the Southwest. During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler than normal in the Northwest.

isn't there some efficient way to desalinate it?

to get a large enough program going to really help.

I don't think we have the fed gov't in place right now to do that.

....The current bunch would probably make the water saltier!

:crazy:

and as far as I know, my town's water supply comes from Lake Lanier.

six of one, half a dozen of the other...

sP

i heard this morning on AM750 that Lanier had 120-140 days left at current usage levels...

sP

This situation is going to become critical soon if we do not get some rain.

The government officials are trying to reign in non-critical use of water, but they are well behind the curve. We still have commercial car washes and power washing companies operating (using drinking water!). People in the richest part of town are still watering their lawns and paying the fines like it was nothing. We still allow cars to be washed on the weekend, and lawns watered once a week.

I am afraid we are in for worse times ahead.

Nobody's mentioned that as far as I can remember...