No water from Georgia

[RH]

Just heard on the local news that the gov of georgia is cutting off water flow to Fla and Ala not sure how he plans on doing this does georgia have dams on the rivers.I would like to hear from somebody in georgia about this I know in georgia water level is critically low.

He's talking about the Chattahoochee River. At the Florida line it becomes the Apalachicola. There are many dams in the Georgia section of the river (West Point, three at Columbus, Georgetown...), and the Army Corps of Engineers has been mandating flows.

The major reservoirs are at historically low levels. Perdue wants to slow the flow to get the levels back up. This makes more sense to me than emptying all that fresh water into the gulf.

[FW]

Too bad there isn't a dam on the Suwannee, we could use it to keep the caves from flooding ;-)

[OFG-1]

He's talking about the Chattahoochee River. At the Florida line it becomes the Apalachicola. There are many dams in the Georgia section of the river (West Point, three at Columbus, Georgetown...), and the Army Corps of Engineers has been mandating flows.

The major reservoirs are at historically low levels. Perdue wants to slow the flow to get the levels back up. This makes more sense to me than emptying all that fresh water into the gulf.


To my brethern in Georiga, I offer the same sage advice I recieved when I lived in the Exumas 30 years ago and we only had a cistern for fresh water. "If its yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down."

Also, read the definition of a "Navy Shower".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_shower

[Puttzer]

Too bad there isn't a dam on the Suwannee, we could use it to keep the caves from flooding ;-)

There is a dam of sorts on the Suwannee: used to keep the water levels up in the Okeefenokie Swamp.

http://www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/okefenokee_swamp/suwannee_river_sill/index.html

[billybones519]

The main point of contention is the Army Corps of Engineers control of Buford Dam which regulates the flow of water out of Lake Lanier into the Chattahoochee River. Per Fish and Wildlife regs, a designated minimum amount must be sent downriver to Fla to support certain wetland habitats.

A simple search will yield more specific facts as well as some pictures of the dreadful condition of Lake Lanier. I haven't seen anything like it in the 25 years I have lived here.

[Cave Ranger]

He's talking about the Chattahoochee River. At the Florida line it becomes the Apalachicola. There are many dams in the Georgia section of the river (West Point, three at Columbus, Georgetown...), and the Army Corps of Engineers has been mandating flows.

The major reservoirs are at historically low levels. Perdue wants to slow the flow to get the levels back up. This makes more sense to me than emptying all that fresh water into the gulf.


To my brethern in Georiga, I offer the same sage advice I recieved when I lived in the Exumas 30 years ago and we only had a cistern for fresh water. "If its yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down."

Also, read the definition of a "Navy Shower".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_shower

I had heard that "golden showers" were also quite popular on those Navy ships :smt116

On a serious note the water situation just keeps getting worse and worse both in Georgia and here in Florida. Yet every time you turn around the local governments are approving another golf and country club or giant housing development and moving thousands of more people into already drought stressed areas. Then they impose water restrictions on us locals because "for crying out loud were running out!!"
"Cyclically" there's probably as much water as there has ever been in these places but thanks to lush Floratam lawns and non-native ornamental plants and more and more people there's more demand for it.
If lakes Lanier and Okeechobee both dry up then all of our government officials, ACOE, big developers, and giant agricultural interests have only themselves to blame.
Not to worry though. It's only a matter of time until they lobby and grease enough palms in Tallahassee to get pipelines run from all the springs in NoFla and pump the water to SoFla so they can keep building golf courses, mega malls and growing sugarcane.
It's sheer madness is what it is......sheer madness.
Somethings gotta give soon and when it does it won't be pretty for any of us. It'll be interesting to see how the government reacts to the problem when Atlanta starts running out of water in 3 months. :smt013

[JE]

The problem in GA isn't about not having enough water, as it is in geetin enough beer piped in for the locals up thar-! Ya see, if ya'll drink enough of the silly stuff, than ya won't have to warry bout the lakes & rivers being @ low levels, cause ya'll will have to releave yorselves sooner or later, & then the lakes/rivers will be full again- :roll:

[RH]

Thats good info

[Cave Ranger]

Well......as far as the beer drinking and high volume peeing, I'm doing my part. :-D

[OFG-1]

I thought all these green house alarmists said we would be 3 feet underwater by now...no wait...ok now....no wait........ how 'bout now?

Kick a cow & make'm fart, damn things aren't putting out enough methane.

I kicked 3 cows last night, and tipped one just for grins. No Farts. Just mooos and the gentle whisper of rock salt and rice flying through the air around my head and the far off sound of a 12 ga pump.

[DeepSea]

Not to worry though. It's only a matter of time until they lobby and grease enough palms in Tallahassee to get pipelines run from all the springs in NoFla and pump the water to SoFla so they can keep building golf courses, mega malls and growing sugarcane.

The pipeline is already in the works pulling from the Ocklawaha River.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20070918/NEWS/709180320

[skip]

He's talking about the Chattahoochee River. At the Florida line it becomes the Apalachicola. There are many dams in the Georgia section of the river (West Point, three at Columbus, Georgetown...), and the Army Corps of Engineers has been mandating flows.

The major reservoirs are at historically low levels. Perdue wants to slow the flow to get the levels back up. This makes more sense to me than emptying all that fresh water into the gulf.

Of course all that fresh water going into the gulf since before humans lived in florida has created a very important wildlife habitat where fresh meets salt. The reduction in fresh water will dry out the brackish wetlands and/or increase salinity - both of which will dramatically alter the quality of life in these areas. Just because fresh water is "emptying ... into the gulf" does not mean it is wasted; it's not, it's a vital part of the ecology of florida (however, the normal ebb and flow due to droughts, much like wildfires, is a good thing [unless you have a home there]).

-skip

[Line Squirrel]

Of course all that fresh water going into the gulf since before humans lived in florida has created a very important wildlife habitat where fresh meets salt. The reduction in fresh water will dry out the brackish wetlands and/or increase salinity - both of which will dramatically alter the quality of life in these areas. Just because fresh water is "emptying ... into the gulf" does not mean it is wasted; it's not, it's a vital part of the ecology of florida (however, the normal ebb and flow due to droughts, much like wildfires, is a good thing [unless you have a home there]).

-skip

All kidding aside...well said Skip.

Just because fresh water is "emptying ... into the gulf" does not mean it is wasted

Oh, I agree. But keep in mind I said Perdue "wants to slow the flow to get the levels back up," not stop the flow.

[skip]

Just wanted to clarify that fresh water going into the ocean is a good thing, in case someone took your original statement the wrong way.

-skip

[Spareparts06]

Desalinasation (for those of us that don't know what it is) Removing salt from salt water. We are surrounded by the ocean instead of waisting our precious fresh water supply why don't we start using the salt water that is all around us. After we use it we can put it back in the ocean or better yet in our shrinking lakes after filtration obviously. Then we will have more fresh water. And as for expence people are already paying more per gallon for water than gas so will they really notice.
:roll:

[Mike Edmonston]

Desalinasation (for those of us that don't know what it is) Removing salt from salt water. We are surrounded by the ocean instead of waisting our precious fresh water supply why don't we start using the salt water that is all around us. After we use it we can put it back in the ocean or better yet in our shrinking lakes after filtration obviously. Then we will have more fresh water. And as for expence people are already paying more per gallon for water than gas so will they really notice.
:roll:

HUGE HUGE HUGE COST!!! It takes ALOT of energy to desalinate water. This is what some Arab countries are doing for fresh water, and it's a HUGE cost burden.

With the cost of fuel on the rise, powering these plants would turn out fresh water at $7.00 per gallon. Now, if the Envirofreaks would just get off their stupid "Anti nuclear power" bandwagon, we could have a cheap alternative to most of our energy needs.

I remember reading about twenty years ago a prediction that the greatest invention of the twenty-first century would be a more efficient means of desalinazation. Not only to solve our current shortage, but also to irrigate the world's deserts. If they were to irrigate the Sahara, within fifty years it would be a rainforest.

[Gary]

With the cost of fuel on the rise, powering these plants would turn out fresh water at $7.00 per gallon. Now, if the Envirofreaks would just get off their stupid "Anti nuclear power" bandwagon, we could have a cheap alternative to most of our energy needs.
Didn't you hear? Nuclear is the new green. Turns out that it is cheap, cleaner then anything except natural gas, and produces no greenhouse gases. To meet Kyoto goals everyone has to go nuclear ASAP.

The first proposed nuclear plants in over 20 years are in the process of approval.

Also we are the only country in the world that has decided to bury our nuclear waste rather then re-use it. It can be reprocessed and used again with 100 times the efficiency. Burying it not only makes a mess it wastes fuel to an incrediable degree. It's one of those OC vs CC things. They should just "scrub" the useless byproducts and put the fuel back in the reactor where it does some good.

Of course fusion would be even cleaner and provide an unlimited energy supply. A number of technical detail need to be worked out before that is feasiable.

[Mike Edmonston]

Didn't you hear? Nuclear is the new green. Turns out that it is cheap, cleaner then anything except natural gas, and produces no greenhouse gases. To meet Kyoto goals everyone has to go nuclear ASAP.

The first proposed nuclear plants in over 20 years are in the process of approval.

I really hope that you are serious! Because this could be the biggest F*U* that we could give big oil. After serving on Nuclear Submarines,and understanding nuclear (Not Nucular as our :blackbar president likes to say) powerplants, and noting how SAFE they really are, it is UNIMAGINABLE to me why we don't have them instead of Coal burning plants!

Hopefully in 50 years our Kids's kids will ask us "Hey grampa, did you really used to burn dinosaur oil???"

One can only hope...

[Spareparts06]

Go Neuclear!! well there is your power and two it does not take up all that much power I run a desalinator off a solar panel so there is another option. and It is cost loaded up front but then it runs for a long long time.

[jmaddox]

http://www.conservewatergeorgia.net/

An average of 8% of all home water use is wasted through leaks.

Yeah, and 53.7% of statistics are made up.