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North Georgia drought, calls for conservation

Long-term water planning needed

North Georgia is experiencing one of the most severe droughts in its history. State and federal agencies estimate that the region has only 80 to 100 days remaining before the water levels at Lake Lanier, metro-Atlanta’s primary source of drinking water, drop so low that special pumps will be needed to sustain the region.  

The U.S. Geologic Society has reported that rivers across the state are flowing lower than they have in 100 years. The Oconee River is experiencing its lowest flow since 1897, with groundwater also reporting record lows.

Environment Georgia, with the Georgia Water Coalition, is calling on state leaders to step up water planning and water efficiency efforts by implementing ten basic conservation and efficiency measures, like switching to low-flow toilets and fixing leaky pipes. Metro Atlanta could save nearly 100 million gallons a day.

“What we’ve learned is that conserving water is much more cost-efficient and ecologically friendly than dealing with a catastrophic drought, or building new reservoirs,” said Advocate Jennette Gayer.

The Environmental Protection Division calculates that collecting 1,000 gallons of water through conservation costs $.50 to $1.40 per gallon, while collecting 1,000 gallons of water in a reservoir costs $4.00 per gallon.

Serious water planning

This is not the first drought our state has experienced, nor will it be the last. With our expanding population, demand for water will only continue to rise. The Georgia Water Council, a body of state agency heads and legislators, is developing a statewide water plan. They will deliver a final version of the plan to the Legislature in January, when lawmakers will vote on the plan or write their own.

Environment Georgia will continue to advocate a plan that gets serious about conservation and efficiency, protects the water needed by all communities in the state, protects the wildlife that rely on our waterways, and encourages continued planning. Perhaps most importantly, we will work to make sure that the funds are available to develop and enforce this plan in the future.