Quote:
Originally Posted by sprtsluvr8
There are three MAJOR resevoirs to the Northeast of Atlanta that total about 150,000 acres - Lake Hartwell, Lake Thurmond, and Lake Russell. All three are on the Savannah River and lie partly in Georgia and partly in S.C., yet the state of Georgia/metro Atlanta is not allowed to draw from these lakes. At least half of the watershed for the lakes is in Georgia...does anyone know why we can't use this plentiful supply of water?
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One reason might be the legacy of riparian doctrine (water law) in the Eastern US, which generally forbid interbasin transfers (although that has been going on to a limited extent in Atlanta anyway). Georgia can’t really be considered under riparian doctrine anymore, but it might explain the reluctance or perhaps even the legal barriers to a statewide water network. I’m not sure that this is the reason, but it might contribute some.
This is in great contrast to the westerns states that operate under prior appropriate. Note the massive water transfers in California and Colorado. Denver has turned the Rocky Mountains into Swiss cheese, piping in vast quantities from the other side of the continental divide.
What really bugs me about this issue is the characterization of Georgia, and particularly Atlanta as water greedy. I don’t say this as a justification for wasteful habits, just in reaction to what I see as an intellectually dishonest characterization. Atlanta is probably unique, or among a very small number, of US cities that rely on water sources with watersheds that are almost entirely within their own metro areas. In other words, Atlanta has probably one of the highest levels of indigenous water use. The water that Atlanta uses is generally the same water that fell within the boundaries of its own metro area. Compare this with any other large city. New York pipes in water from all over the state, including inter-basin transfers from the Delaware River basin. Denver was already discussed. LA pipes in water from the Colorado River, a completely different watershed, spread over many other states. DC gets its water from the Potomac, whose watershed expands thousands of sq miles outside the metro area. If Atlanta was using water “originating” from other states or areas well beyond the boundaries of its metro area, such characterizations would be appropriate, but I find it disingenuous to claim people are greedy for wanting to use the very water that falls on their land.
Georgia does deserve criticism for failing to expand storage. This is a problem that has been well known for decades. However, in fairness to the government (I can’t believe I am cutting them slack), they may have faced legal challenges from both environmental groups and down stream users to build additional capacity. I’m not sure if that is the case, but I seem to remember hearing about opposition to some of the proposed reservoirs.
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Good points about the metro utilizing water within its own watershed, niff. I had never given that much thought, but, you're absolutely correct in that regard.
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