Atlanta Drought Status: Critical
Earlier this year in February, I blogged about Australia's severe drought, but now drought is hitting closer to home (Atlanta) ... and the situtation is looking pretty dismal.
The article at the end of that link is well worth a read, but here's the synopsis:
- Atlanta metro area has a population of about 5.3 million
- Atlanta is experiencing a never before witnessed level of drought
- Lake Lanier (the main reservoir) is down to around 3 months worth of water left in storage
- The drought is hitting the local economy (landscapers not doing any business, layoffs, etc.)
- There is not a whole lot of rain in the forecast
- There don't seem to be any reasonable workarounds if Lanier continues to deplete
I'm interested to see how this thing progresses. We are still in hurricane season, so there is a decent chance that the Atlanta area could see some significant rain. On the other hand, October is typically the driest month of the year, so if rain comes, Atlanta would be extremely lucky.
What will Atlantans do? Will the drought cause people to change? What's the right amount of change? How can you measure your water usage against other residents? If there is a water shortage, what will the government do? What can they do? Is the drought related to global warming? Is this the beginning of persistent water problems in the deep south of the US?
Update December 14, 2007:
Atlanta's water problem hasn't gotten any better. This USGS page is the best place to go for status on Lake Lanier water data.
