Georgia is a dry state. This doesn’t mean they still don’t enjoy their Mint Juleps. Georgia is still running out of water. It’s a good thing only 1 tablespoon of water is called for in the making of what’s known as ‘the world’s most civilized’ drink.
Civility may be called for, sans the bourbon, if the water war between Georgia and Tennessee gets any hotter.
Georgia lawmakers intend to take a legal look at what has been a 190 year-old border dispute with Tennessee. At issue is what Georgia claims is an 1818 survey of the state line which is in error. The 1.1 mile mistake hasn’t been in much dispute over the past couple of hundred years, but what a difference a mile can make when your state is running dry.
Moving the state boundary just over a mile to the north would give the particularly parched state of Georgia a portion of the wet Tennessee River.
The mayor of Chattanooga intends to have a truckload of water delivered to Georgia Lawmakers along with a proclamation setting aside one day as “Give Our Georgia Friends a Drink Day.”
Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth thinks Chattanooga mayor Littlefield’s delivery of water a nice gesture but also described Littlefield’s actions as “posturing”.
Littlefield said Tuesday, “We hope they accept it in the humorous way it is intended.”
Georgia’s Drought is no laughing matter. Just as border disputes between states isn’t funny either. What begins in jest, ends in earnest.
Take a look around this weekly updated drought page to see how ‘in earnest’ Georgia’s border dispute may become.
Alabama Governor Bob Riley has written a 3 page letter to G.W.Bush asking that he deny Georgia’s Governor’s request for presidential emergency actions.
Them’z fightin’ word’z!
Riley paints Perdue as an out and out liar. In his letter to the President he characterizes Perdue’s pleas for Divine presidential intervention as merely being a contest between people versus endangered mussels. Riley says “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Riley paints Perdue as an out and out liar. In his letter to the President he characterizes Perdue’s pleas for Divine presidential intervention as merely being a contest between people versus endangered mussels. Riley says “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
In my book, the thing furthest from the truth would be a lie. A horrible, bald faced lie. And so it begins, as the planet heats up, the turf wars heat up. Yikes!
Suffering a melt down?
Riley is so opposed to Georgia obtaining Federal intervention into it’s drought predicament that he reminds the president such action would not be safe.
If Georgia is allowed to keep it’s water in Lake Lanier there could be a nuclear event. Riley states, “Georgia ignores the fact that the Farley Nuclear Plant sits on the banks of the Chattahoochee River and requires cooling water at the nuclear plant.” Riley goes on, “If Georgia obtained the presidential action it seeks, then there would likely be inadequate cooling water for the nuclear plant.” “That is obviously something that cannot be allowed to happen.”
Never miss the chance to overstate the obvious?
Riley does make it sound as though there isn’t any way to back off or shut down Farley temporarily and that a slow down of industrial activity along the Chattahoochee River would be tantamount to the end of Alabama.
Wouldn’t saving one of America’s major cities trump some temporary economic hardships that would be taken by industry?
The cloud of hurricane Katrina hangs over questions such as those.
Some people did learn from Katrina. Northeast Georgia Medical Center isn’t going to be caught waiting for the federal government to come and save them in a disaster. Kevin Matson, safety and emergency preparedness coordinator at the Center says a contingency plan will be submitted to the Georgia Division of Public Health. Part of the plan would be to bring in tanks of non potable water for toilet flushing.
Hope springs eternal if the faucet doesn’t!
Jackie Joseph, president of the Lake Lanier Association, tosses a brighter spin on the drought, “There are some people who are trying to look at the bright side and say, well, the lake has filled up before, it can do it again.” She goes on, “Our leaders didn’t seem to learn much from the last drought in 1999-2002.”
Yep, yep…Things are different this time though.
Governor Sonny Perdue is declaring North Georgia a disaster area and asking President Bush for federal assistance.
FEMA, Bush, Disaster… not a successful combination.
If Atlanta thinks it holds any more importance to the nation than New Orleans held they may want to reconsider that sentiment.
City-states and climate change aren’t two terms being used in public but, they most certainly are being used behind closed doors when government and science collide over global warming.
Atlanta, Georgia has found itself on the brink of a disaster. Two days ago the estimated water reserve in Lake Lanier was enough to last only 81 more days.
Given the fact that Atlanta should receive nearly 14 more inches of rain per year than Seattle, Washington a drought in Atlanta seems out of the realm of possibilities, and yet it has happened.
The Army Corps of Engineers is mandated to release millions of gallons of water that flow downstream to Florida and Alabama. In spite of the fact that Atlanta is suffering the largest drought in their history. Much of the water released is part of an attempt to save the endangered Mussel. Freshwater mussels are among the most endangered organisms in North America from Canada all the way down to Florida.
The Governor of Georgia demanded the Corp stop releasing vital water, but the Corps has it’s orders. Florida’s Environmental Chief sent a warning to the Corps staying that reducing the flow of water from Georgia “would severely impact Florida’s natural resources.” Florida has already complained that Georgia is not sending enough water downstream as it is.
You can’t get blood from a turnip!
The Governor of Alabama is crying to the Corps for more water from Georgia. Alabama is also trying to cope with shortages. Georgia’s Governor says he is prepared to file suit to stop the release of his State’s water causing further tensions between the three states.
The National Weather Service expects this coming winter to also be one of the driest on record so it doesn’t look like there will be any relief insight for the near future.
Those of us paying attention to these kinds of things know that situations just like this one are only the tip of the iceberg. The States downstream can cry all they want about the lack of water being sent to them, but if there is no excess water to send what happens?
Last night the state held a public hearing in Rome, Georgia which drew a lively crowd of protesters. The County Commission Chairman was quoted as saying “I’d rather not characterize it as a fight…as competing interests that we need to find some solutions to.”
Bad moon rising!
Officials may, rather these types of issues not be characterized as fights, but what they have on their hands whether they’d rather or not, is a festering boil on the rump of civility.
If the best they can do is ask their constituents to ‘pray for rain’, they have more problems on their hands than they realize. Atlanta’s problem isn’t just affecting other states it’s having an impact on other cities in Georgia. State versus state will seem like a cake walk if neighboring cities start feuding.
If officials are paying attention to the chatter on local Internet forums, and I hope they are, they will see that the locals are quickly becoming restless.
A few quotes from the local forums:
“Couldn’t the Army in Iraq use a few more soldiers? The Corps is Army, ship them off…”
“…Keep our water where it belongs: In Lake Lanier for all the wealthy boaters to enjoy…”
“Before you argue that endangered species stuff, just remember this: the mussels would eat you given the chance.”
“Endangered species…Boo! Species come. Species go. We have the ability to save ourselves over the mussels so we should. If a species is unable to continue existence for whatever reason then that’s the way it is, get over it and move on.”
“Disease, blight, famine, economical devastation and death are what will come with this idiotic attitude…”
Tossing the baby out with the bath water!
Today Georgia Law makers are trying to move legislation in Congress, that will waive the requirements of the “Endangered Species Act,”
As more and more people become pushed by the detrimental affects of Global Warming, environmental issues will be shoved out the window.
The sad thing is; man’s innate desire to survive happens to be predicated on the survival of the environment, it’s not the other way around.
Photo: 11Alive News. Protester wearing mussel shaped hat speaking at last nights meeting in Rome Georgia.
