Water for Metro Atlanta

[Hybrid0NE]

This concerns me...

Even drinking water is at risk. Atlanta

[teshadoh]

Piping water from other states isn't an option - nor is it plausible. But not all of the metro area is within the Chattahoochee basin, there are other river basins the metro is in - but getting more water from these basins will be politically difficult as the three state water plan for the Chattahoochee has been.

I don't have an answer - well I do, stop sprawl but we know that isn't likely.

[satalac]

I hope there are already plans to start piping in extra water from.... Tennessee

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

touch our water and die.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

sounds like left wing mischef to me.

[Spartan]

One possibility is the construction of a new lake somewhere, or raising the level of the existing ones, Lake Lanier seems small for such a large metro.

It is an interesting problem to be sure. Somehow they will come up with a solution. Even if it is a regionwide moratorium on new structures until a better solution can be found.

[monsoon]

They will have to push for more water conservation. No more watering lawns and washing cars with drinking water.

[Hybrid0NE]

They will have to push for more water conservation.  No more watering lawns and washing cars with drinking water.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd settle for no more lawns. Force everyone into highrises and completely fill in the perimeter new towers. Seems like raising the lake levels would be difficult, there's a lot of development around Lanier; not so much sure about Allatoona but considering how abundant sprawl is there, it probably doesn't have any potential in that area. I wonder how hard it would be to get approval to flood another Georgia Mountain valley to make a reservior for the city?

[Hybrid0NE]

touch our water and die.   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't worry, we won't even cross the border into your state. That loud vaccuum/sucking sound you'll hear in a few years will be Atlanta draining the Tennessee River from Alabama, it'll be further known as the Tennessee Brook. However, we'd allow you free access to Six Flags Whitewater and other Atlanta area waterparks for the generous gift.

[teshadoh]

I'd settle for no more lawns. Force everyone into highrises and completely fill in the perimeter new towers. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok - now that is just crazy talk, no way that is going to happen. We like our neighborhoods quite a bit thank you, in fact this explains much of the lack of civic initiateveness concerning Downtown. Most of the 'pride' in Atlanta is relegated to community / neighborhood pride, as I have for my home in Cabbagetown / Grant Park.

[Hybrid0NE]

Ok -  now that is just crazy talk, no way that is going to happen.  We like our neighborhoods quite a bit thank you, in fact this explains much of the lack of civic initiateveness concerning Downtown.  Most of the 'pride' in Atlanta is relegated to community / neighborhood pride, as I have for my home in Cabbagetown / Grant Park.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess your right, forgive my disregard for neighborhoods. I'm not so much impressed with them since I live in a twig off the northeastern branch of Columbia sprawl.

[teshadoh]

Columbia has some similar neighborhoods - remember, for us urbanites when we talk about neighborhoods we mean it. Otherwise when we discuss the post WWII suburbs, we don't use the term 'neighborhood' - because neighborhoods require an identity, which doesn't exist in the suburbs.

No offense...

[monsoon]

This article which appeared on our partner Planetizen, gives some commentary and link to another article on the coming water shortage for Metro Atlanta if predictions come true and 2.5 million more people move into the metro by 2030. It appears they want to bring in water from Alabama and South Carolina, but those states may not agree to this. If so, what do you think it would do to growth in the area and what other options could be implimented to help solve this problem?

[AubieTurtle]

If we didn't waste a huge amount of water on lawns, we could get by a lot longer on less water. It amazes me just how much most people think it is a God given right to water their lawn full of non-native grass. If it can't survive on what's coming out of the sky, it probably shouldn't be there in the first place. If your lawn turns brown, you don't die. If you don't have water to drink, it's over. The desire to have a lawn that looks like it belongs to a Lego house is one of the most annoying aspects of the American Dream.

[Hybrid0NE]

monsoon I started a similar topic on this last year...

No Drinking Water 2015?

[monsoon]

monsoon I started a similar topic on this last year...

No Drinking Water 2015?

Thanks for letting me know. I've merged the two.

I guess the new news is the very real consideration of pumping in water from Alabama and SC.

[krazeeboi]

This is what happens when you have sprawl in a virtual desert.

But I'm not sure if this deal will pan out in Atlanta's favor when it comes to tapping the Savannah River, as this portion of the article demonstrates:

But right now, Couch said, it is South Carolina that is proposing additional use of the river -- up to 100 million gallons a day, in fact. Greenville and Spartanburg already take far more water from the Savannah than they return, and Greenville in particular has locked up extra capacity for the future.

Being that Tennessee is already a tough sell, I wonder what will happen if SC says no?

[ryanmckibben]

This is what happens when you have sprawl in a virtual desert.

Desert? Atlanta is the second rainiest metropolitan region in the country...right behind Seattle.

[AubieTurtle]

I agree it's silly to call Atlanta a desert but second rainiest? Where did that come from? I've never seen it mentioned anywhere. Maybe second if you restrict the list to the top fifty metros or something like that.

[teshadoh]

It's about time to start serious water conservation efforts - of course a city like Phoenix or Las Vegas is a different story, but it is admirable the efforts that are involved. INcluding - using reclaimed water for nonessential uses such as watering lawns or golf courses. It is deplorable when you really think how much water is wasted for pointless uses.

But it might be time for another major hydro project in central or south Georgia...

[krazeeboi]

Desert? Atlanta is the second rainiest metropolitan region in the country...right behind Seattle.

I mean in terms of being located close to a major water source in relation to the size of the metro area. And of course there are few, if any, natural boudaries that prevent the metro area from growing too much in any one direction.

[ryanmckibben]

I agree it's silly to call Atlanta a desert but second rainiest? Where did that come from? I've never seen it mentioned anywhere. Maybe second if you restrict the list to the top fifty metros or something like that.

Your exactly right. I'm sure there are places that receive much more rain then Atlanta, but we are in fact the second rainiest "metropolitan" region in the country.

[krazeeboi]

Do you have a source for that statistic? I'd be curious to see how other metro areas stack up in this regard.

[Pillsbury]

Atlanta does receive a lot of rain---just like every other city in the South. I remember reading a few years ago--back when we were in a real droubt and Lake Lanier and all other other lakes really were drying up---that per capita, people in the South used more water than anyone else, including southern California. What I don't understand is if people in other less humid parts of the country can get by on less water, why can't we?

[ryanmckibben]

Do you have a source for that statistic? I'd be curious to see how other metro areas stack up in this regard.

I looked for it, but can't seem to find anything on it. Like Pillsbury's post above, I remember reading it in an article on Atlanta's water supply during our last drought. The article was saying that Atlanta has never had to worry about water until the recent population explosion because of all the rain that we get

.

[Martinman]

Atlanta does receive a lot of rain---just like every other city in the South. I remember reading a few years ago--back when we were in a real droubt and Lake Lanier and all other other lakes really were drying up---that per capita, people in the South used more water than anyone else, including southern California. What I don't understand is if people in other less humid parts of the country can get by on less water, why can't we?

Probably has something to with the fact they have actually PLANNED for the lack of water in those areas while state officials here are unfamiliar with the word.