Paracelsus
20-October-2007, 07:30 PM
Via CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/20/georgia.drought/index.html
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue on Saturday declared the northern region of Georgia in a state of emergency as its water resources dwindled to a dangerously low level.
He also sent a letter to President Bush, asking him to declare North Georgia a major disaster area.
"I have declared an emergency in 85 of Georgia's counties due to the threat of water supply in the northern part of our state," Perdue said on the shore of receding Lake Lanier.
Rainfall in the area is far below normal for the year. Lake Lanier, the main water source for the Atlanta area's 5 million residents, is nearing historically low levels.
Perdue said the state would seek an injunction forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the flow of water from the lake.
"The Corps is sending 3.2 billion gallons of water downstream out of Georgia reservoirs every day," Perdue said. "That's enough to fill three-and-a- half Olympic-size swimming pools every minute."
This water is sent into the Chattahoochee River, which supplies power plants in Florida and Alabama and is home to endangered species (mussels and sturgeon).
The article includes a complaint about the Endangered Species Act that consists of the perennial 'the Endangered Species Act puts the welfare of [insert endangered species here] over the welfare of people.'
Gee, I suppose that the people in Florida and Alabama that depend on water from the Chattahoochee River to run power plants in those states don't factor into the equation for the person who made this complaint.
This conflict is part of an ongoing world-wide crisis in supply of potable water. This crisis is particularly acute in developing countries but is also being felt in parts of the US.
There will be more of these petty turf wars over resources in future, I fear.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue on Saturday declared the northern region of Georgia in a state of emergency as its water resources dwindled to a dangerously low level.
He also sent a letter to President Bush, asking him to declare North Georgia a major disaster area.
"I have declared an emergency in 85 of Georgia's counties due to the threat of water supply in the northern part of our state," Perdue said on the shore of receding Lake Lanier.
Rainfall in the area is far below normal for the year. Lake Lanier, the main water source for the Atlanta area's 5 million residents, is nearing historically low levels.
Perdue said the state would seek an injunction forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the flow of water from the lake.
"The Corps is sending 3.2 billion gallons of water downstream out of Georgia reservoirs every day," Perdue said. "That's enough to fill three-and-a- half Olympic-size swimming pools every minute."
This water is sent into the Chattahoochee River, which supplies power plants in Florida and Alabama and is home to endangered species (mussels and sturgeon).
The article includes a complaint about the Endangered Species Act that consists of the perennial 'the Endangered Species Act puts the welfare of [insert endangered species here] over the welfare of people.'
Gee, I suppose that the people in Florida and Alabama that depend on water from the Chattahoochee River to run power plants in those states don't factor into the equation for the person who made this complaint.
This conflict is part of an ongoing world-wide crisis in supply of potable water. This crisis is particularly acute in developing countries but is also being felt in parts of the US.
There will be more of these petty turf wars over resources in future, I fear.