Atlanta out of water?

**swbuilder** · 10-22-2007, 06:54 PM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21382688/

What boggles my mind is that we are not set up for desalinating ocean water yet even though it appears to be very common in the middle east. Can you imagine the chaos if Atlanta does run out?

Randy

**Bob Kovacs** · 10-23-2007, 05:34 AM

I'm not too worried about it, honestly. The "90-day supply" thing is based on the "conservation level" of the lake- there's still another 40-50% of the lake's volume available- it'll just require lowering intake lines, which no one wants to do. There's also the fact that the Army Corps has been releasing around 2 billion gallons per day (around 10 days of supply) downstream to save some endangered mussels. They've already admitted that the flow rate can be lowered without hurting the mussels, and I'd expect that it'll be stopped altogether if it's a matter of Atlanta having drinking water or some freshwater mussels dying.

**David Meiland** · 10-23-2007, 08:41 AM

There are some small desal plants here on the island.

Bob, hopefully you didn't sell the house in NJ yet, or piss off your old boss.

**swbuilder** · 10-23-2007, 08:58 AM

Bob,

How long have you been in Georgia?

I don't know the area, but the way the media put things it looked like a bad situation. Someone said the growth of the area was outpacing the freshwater supply. I still think we should have desalination plants inplace for worse case scenarios.

Randy

**Bob Kovacs** · 10-23-2007, 11:45 AM

Randy-

We've been down here since July, and yes, the media is painting it as a bad situation (do they ever paint ANYTHING as a good situation????)- much worse than it is. By no means is it something that should be ignored, but I think it's exactly what the area needed to really kick some of the politicians in the ass and get them to realize that they can't just keep building unabated without looking at the big-picture effects.

The former governor of Georgia was interviewed recently, and basically ripped the current governor a new one about how he "let things get so out of hand without a proper plan". To hear him talk, you'd think the current governor had been in office for 30 years, and that his predecessor had nothing to do with the growth of metro Atlanta. In reality, he's only been in office around 4 years, so the bonehead who was pointing fingers was actually the one who held most of the responsibility for letting it get like this.

**Bob Kovacs** · 10-23-2007, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by David Meiland

Bob, hopefully you didn't sell the house in NJ yet, or piss off your old boss.

Well, the house in NJ is sold, and my boss probably wouldn't take me back (ohh well...), but even if things went into a meltdown here, NJ would be the last place I'd move back to anyway.........

**davenorthup** · 10-23-2007, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by Bob Kovacs

. By no means is it something that should be ignored, but I think it's exactly what the area needed to really kick some of the politicians in the ass and get them to realize that they can't just keep building unabated without looking at the big-picture effects.

That is the same thing that has happened in the west; but many there still seem to not be getting the message.

From what I heard the GA water levels are historically the same - demands are just growing exponentially - maybe you tipped the balance Bob by moving there? :)

Hopefully GA will learn from this as some places in AZ did. Tucson used to, and probably still bans most lawns - however not the suburbs? Makes sense for a desert, while PHX continues to grow and plant lawns....

***Historical factoid - the AZ and CA National Guards almost had armed conflict on the banks of the CO river over water rights - would have been the first b/t states since the civil war. Nothing happened, but the CA National Guard helped pull out stuck vehicles at the end of the day for the ill-equipped AZ guard.

**Unforgiven** · 10-23-2007, 07:12 PM

You'd think with all the global warming and polar ice caps melting and all that other climate change stuff there'd be planty of water. After all, the entire state of FL and most of GA will be under water in a matter of months if Al Gore gets his way. I better run out and trade in my truck for a Hydrogen sipping model and on the way home buy some carbon credits.
Really, though, de-sal plants are a great idea, but to produce the volume to keep up with the way Americans waste resources we would have to do some serious construction. And areas like Atlanta are sufficiently inland that delivery would require hundreds of miles of pipelines, either from the South or the East. To hell with the mussells.

**swbuilder** · 10-23-2007, 09:34 PM

As far as I am concerned the Colorado River water belongs to AZ. The damn Californians can get their **** from the ocean. Hence my feelings about De-sal plants. Would create alot of jobs in the process (plants and pipelines, etc.)

**davenorthup** · 10-23-2007, 09:51 PM

Spoken like a true Arizonan :). I lived in PHX for 16 some odd years.

Actually - you'd be surprised to know that CA (read LA) is due all of their CO river allotments before NV or AZ could get a drop. They get all theirs first - at least on paper. So if say there is a drought - CA could legally get their full share before any is sent to LV or into PHX.

This is all fall out from the earlier episode I mentioned - I forget the book; but their is interesting reading regarding the history of that and the Owen's aqueduct as well from the western Sierra.

**Lavrans** · 10-23-2007, 10:04 PM

The Owen's river valley is pretty interesting. I rode my bike down it from Tuolomne Meadows to Lone Pine (Manzanar is on the way). There are a couple of free campgrounds, but most of the river is owned by the LA water bureau, and doesn't allow camping except for a few pay areas.

That's the land that the movie Chinatown talked about. Good movie, great scandal.

**davenorthup** · 10-23-2007, 10:09 PM

I used to trespass LA county property all the time when we were climbing in the Owens river area - some 300 miles away from LA!!! Owell, they did patrol the pipe line with armed patrolmen, but we survived.

Your right very colorful and corrupt history - but beautiful country.

**Daniel J** · 10-23-2007, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by swbuilder

As far as I am concerned the Colorado River water belongs to AZ. The damn Californians can get their **** from the ocean. Hence my feelings about De-sal plants. Would create alot of jobs in the process (plants and pipelines, etc.)

That's how we feel here in the great lakes states, some people's comments hinting that it would be a good idea to divert water from the great lakes to the southwest. That would be total b.s., you want to live in the desert to enjoy the climate well guess what it's dry also.

**davenorthup** · 10-23-2007, 11:16 PM

Hey they talk about shipping water from AK down south. We got plenty so come and get it...

**swbuilder** · 10-23-2007, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by davenorthup

Spoken like a true Arizonan :). I lived in PHX for 16 some odd years.

Actually - you'd be surprised to know that CA (read LA) is due all of their CO river allotments before NV or AZ could get a drop. They get all theirs first - at least on paper. So if say there is a drought - CA could legally get their full share before any is sent to LV or into PHX.

This is all fall out from the earlier episode I mentioned - I forget the book; but their is interesting reading regarding the history of that and the Owen's aqueduct as well from the western Sierra.

Dave,
I am aware of the LA deal regarding water rights, hence my feelings towards it, although I was unaware of the fight you mentioned between the national guards. Approx. what year was that?

Daniel,
I am from the Midwest. Parents have a house ON Lake Superior. I think it would be ridiculous to bring water that far to the desert. Probably make more sense to drop an iceberg or two down there.... if they still exist.

Randy

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