Georgia Drought 2007 - DPChallenge Forums

11/11/2007 12:55:00 PM · #1

Last weekend, I went up the road a bit to Lake Lanier. This lake is responsible for providing drinking water to much of the Atlanta metropolitan area, as well as keeping the ecosystem intact south of Atlanta into Alabama and Georgia. Right now these three states are trying to strike a balance between keeping water in the reservoir for Atlanta, as well as trying to take care of Mother Nature. The balance appears to be very delicate according to recent news stories, and finding that balance seems to be even more difficult. Here are some of the shots I took while I was on the lake at one of the few remaining parks that have an open boat ramp. Thanks for looking and feel free to post your thoughts.

E

Message edited by author 2007-11-11 12:55:21.

jenesis

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

11/11/2007 01:09:32 PM · #2

These photos really hit home with just how bad the drought has gotten there Eric. It's really unbelievable (and distressing) how low lake level is. Is it true that a State of Emergency has been placed on Atlanta because of the drought situation?

All I can hope for you guys is a very wet winter, spring, summer, fall and then some because that's probably what it's going to take. :(

Lytro Illum Light Field Digital

11/14/2007 05:16:16 AM · #3

Originally posted by jenesis:

Nah, no declared state of emergency yet. Sonny (the Governor) asked, but I haven't heard an official yes or no yet. On a quirkier note...Sonny had a group of religious leaders from the area meet on the capitol steps yesterday as he lead them in a prayer for rain. What made me laugh more than the actual event was that he mentioned last week, then waited until there was a chance of rain in the forecast. By the sound of his little prayer, he was new to the whole prayin' thing. Boy does he make us look silly sometimes. I'll go back and check the lake this weekend to see if God fixed it.

THE PRAYER video.

E

Message edited by author 2007-11-14 05:19:55.

yakatme

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

11/14/2007 07:31:50 AM · #4

Originally posted by ericwoo:

Right now these three states are trying to strike a balance between keeping water in the reservoir for Atlanta, as well as trying to take care of Mother Nature.

The third state that you didn't name is Florida and the fiery debate over whether water that has always been allowed to flow to the Suwannee river should be retained for the use of Georgia residents. The water that has always flowed to the Suwannee (even before water management measures taken by the Army Corps of Engineers) is what allows the Sturgeon population to exist as well as the mussel industry in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Suwannee. There has been talk of Georgia suing the Army Corps of Engineers to stop the flow of water to the Suwannee and they might have already started the process.

My thoughts on this is that the water has always flowed to the Suwannee so it should not be stopped. I understand the need for water, but I also know that nature of people is to meet and then exceed the availability of most anything. We always get comfortable with what is available and then want more. An alternative needs to be found because even if the outlet to the Suwannee is turned off and the Sturgeon and mussels die off, eventually (and probably sooner that later) the need for water will also exceed this new supply and other solutions will have to be found anyway. Other options need to be explored now before further sacrificing nature for our benefit.

Message edited by author 2007-11-14 07:33:42.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

11/14/2007 07:55:21 AM · #5

Originally posted by yakatme:

I really love going to that area. That was one of the most beautiful lakes to visit, drive around, hike around, and boat on. For our annual family GTG I suggested once that we rent a house or a houseboat on that lake and all bring our boats. I wonder if that lake will ever return to normal levels. It would take quite a lot to make up the deficit in times where demand for water is so high.

Originally posted by ericwoo:
Right now these three states are trying to strike a balance between keeping water in the reservoir for Atlanta, as well as trying to take care of Mother Nature.

My thoughts on this is that the water has always flowed to the Suwannee so it should not be stopped. Other options need to be explored now before further sacrificing nature for our benefit.

Yeah, it will return, but it will take some time. And we do need better resource management. While the mussels mean very little to me on a personal level, I heard someone say something once about the flower know as Persistent Trillium. This little flower lives only in Tallulah Gorge in the northeast corner of Georgia. The statement was speaking of the flower specifically, but all endangered species in general. The lady said that these species are ultimately a barometer of society and humanity. If they don't survive, we ultimately don't survive. That's something to think about. Somehow, we have to find a balance...somehow.

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

11/14/2007 08:10:47 AM · #6

Eric, we get that water down here in Columbus as well. It has really done a number down here. They say that it is a 20 year low. They are restricting water uses out the ying-yang. I heard a rumor that the coke center up there was only pushing out so many bottles a day because the use of water. You're pictures are amazing and I would like to save them to my hard drive with your permission.

Let me explain why... I have a file on my HDD that is for my kids with major world events. Because they are so young they won't remember anything that has happened but if I capture dates and times with some pictures they can see what we as Americans went through today.

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

11/14/2007 08:19:16 AM · #7

Georgia officials warn that Lake Lanier, a 38,000-acre reservoir that supplies more than 3 million residents with water, is less than three months from depletion. Smaller reservoirs are dropping even lower.

This was as of Oct 20, 2007

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

11/18/2007 04:26:20 PM · #8

Hearing all the reports and fights over who gets what water, it really makes me wonder how much water would be flowing downstream WITHOUT the dam. Right now, outflow is substantially higher that inflow, so if it weren't for the dam, wouldn't the mussels have either died off or have climbed down below a lower water level? We have been releasing 2+ billion gallons of water each day, and the metro area uses about 500 million gallons. Interesting.

Anyway, here are some more photos, courtesy of

Jaxed, from Sweetwater Creek State Park. These are comparison shots that she took about a year ago, as well as recently.

Thanks for sharing, Eden.

E

jaxed

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

11/19/2007 09:34:53 AM · #9

Eric,

Thanks for posting those for me :)

Eden

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

11/19/2007 09:43:13 AM · #10

Anytime! Thanks for sharing. It is amazing to look at the before and after shots of that park. Scary if you think about it, huh?

Bebe

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

11/20/2007 09:35:37 AM · #11

Eric - very scary images! Thanks for posting.

rex

Canon PowerShot SD780

11/23/2007 11:59:08 PM · #12

Eric I missed this somehow. Very nice images that tell the tale...............I have been meaning to get out to the other ~~lake~~pond and take some shot from there(Allatoona)