Franklin: Conserve water now
October 11, 2007 at 2:17 pm by Thomas Wheatley in News
As the lakes that provide Atlanta with its drinking water begin to reach historic lows, Mayor Shirley Franklin advised residents and businesses alike in Atlanta to do everything they can — from placing bricks in toilets to letting lawns turn an unsightly yet responsible brown — to conserve the precious resource during Georgia’s current drought.
At a press conference at City Hall, Franklin stood before members of the media and said the city was fixing water line leaks in an effort to eliminate waste. Of all the water the city pumps into the system, 14 percent of it is lost. Consumers, the mayor said, must do their part to exist within the limitations of the crisis, be it by cutting your shower time or catching water poured while you’re waiting for your bath to warm up and using it to water plants.
“Water to drink and fight fires is more important than our ornamental flowers,” she said, her usual carnation affixed to her lapel.
Rob Hunter, commissioner of the city’s Department of Watershed Management, said North Georgia was looking at a drought similar to that seen in photos of the 1930s Dust Bowl. He said the Army Corps of Engineers, the agency in charge of regulating how much water gets released from vital lakes, needs to lower the amount of water it is draining from Lake Lanier by 10 percent. He urged the agency to “match the natural stream flow, not supplement it.”
The Corps is currently releasing enough water to sustain two endangered mussel species in a Florida river and a Florida-based coal-fired facility. A recent meter-calibration gaffe by the Corps has led much of the blame to be placed on its shoulders for the area’s unpreparedness in dealing with the shortage of water.
“We need to conserve more water because we don’t know how long this drought is going to last,” Hunter said. “We’re not going to run out of water in 121 days as long as we conserve and don’t drain Lake Lanier.”
Franklin said there is proposed legislation that will impose increased rates for consumers who use excessive amounts of water. He also said the city is trying to push an ordinance that requires home sellers to certify that fixtures in the home have been retrofit with water-saving devices — such as low-flow toilets, which use two gallons of water per flush rather than a conventional toilet that uses five — before they can close the deal.
Most importantly — and which went virtually undiscussed by Franklin and Hunter — was that, even without a drought, how can the city meet the demand for water to sustain the expected influx of residents the next 20 years will bring? We’re looking into that.
Photo: Joeff Davis
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October 11th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
After taking a trip to see Brasstown Bald in Blairsville, and then driving through Hiawassee, it is so sad to see where the water levels used to be. Hiawassee looks like it is at its’ record low. Boat slips are bone dry, water outlets leading to private lake residences are bone dry, fishing areas by Lake Hiawassee are bone dry. Blue Ridge isn’t much better. While taking photos of Lake Blue Ridge from Aska Road, you can see the clay circles around the lake, referencing where the lake waters used to be. It is very sad to see that a drought has had so much of an effect on a state. My inlaws well ran dry last night in Blairsville. They actually had to go outside in the very cold evening and go to the bathroom outside. Today they have water, beause the cabin development switched, somehow, to city water. Everyone needs to conserve.
Marian,
http://www.CabinsPlusMore.com
http://www.NorthGeorgiaOnDemand.com
October 12th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I’m a Moe’s employee and I’m doing my part by NOT washing my hands before I return to work.
Welcome to Moe’s!!!!!!
October 12th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Nothing says Tex-Mex like salmonella! Thanks for doing your part to conserve water, NaNa!