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DEL.ICIO.US‘What Atlanta wants, Atlanta gets, and right now, they want our water.’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In metro Atlanta, Gov. Sonny Perdue has successfully cast the debate over water as a case of mollusk versus man.
But downstream, people in other parts of Georgia aren’t sure they like being compared to bivalves. They prefer to think of themselves as a giant Slurpee. Metro Atlanta is the straw — and a greedy one at that.
It’s always a disappointment to find out you’re not as beloved as you thought.
These are the key paragraphs from the Sunday editorial in the Valdosta Times:
Gov. Sonny Perdue’s temper tantrums against the Army Corps of Engineers, the state of Florida and anyone else associated with not giving into his demands continued through the weekend, with meetings at Lake Lanier and declaring northern Georgia a disaster area Saturday to further enforce what everyone else has long known — Atlanta is a greedy, poorly designed behomoth of a city incapable of hearing the word “no” and dealing with it.
The wasteful ways of Atlantans continued through the past decade of severe drought in the state. The water restrictions meant little to them “up there” as they had plenty of water at the time, while rural Georgia and farmers were watching their crops burn in their fields, listening as Atlanta politicians who apparently do think their food originates in a grocery store passed policies designed to prevent them from accessing the water literally beneath their feet.
These same politicians can’t bring themselves to tell their greedy constituents complaining about the low flows in their toilets this week that perhaps if they didn’t have six bathrooms, it might ease the situation a bit. That watering your lawn isn’t as important as watering crops. Or that their greedy overbuilding has taxed their supplies of natural resources beyond their capabilities.
However, all of that requires a degree of common sense and we’ve seen precious little of it from any politician in this state this year. So South Georgia, watch out. What Atlanta wants, Atlanta gets, and right now, they want our water. If our legislative delegation wakes up, perhaps they can have the state agree to at least let us keep what falls from the sky, even while they suck our ground, and our pockets, dry.
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Comments
By SpaceyG
October 22, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this
They can call us Atlantans every name in the book, ‘long as they understand who’s boss.
By Craig
October 22, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this
Amen. As long as we have to pay for their highways to nowhere, they can at least let us have the water.
By Anonymous
October 22, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this
If Sonny successfully cast the issue as another “blame the environmentalists” problem, how come no one’s buying it?
By Danny O
October 22, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this
The Valdosta column, while offensive, is dead on. Metro Atlanta’s growth has not been well-planned. There is no need for us to take South Georgia’s water as long as we start using it more efficiently. However, the concerns of South Georgians might be better received if it wasn’t couched in such hostile tones. Namely, acknowledging the fact that Atlanta’s haphazard growth is due to a state disinterest in the collective well-being of our metropolis.
Many of Atlanta’s problems have been brought on by state leadership who have rejected a regional approach to policy issues. By refusing to work collaboratively on resource and growth issues, state leaders have given local governments very little incentive to impose higher standards on builders. It leads to this line of thinking: “If all the other metro counties aren’t going to require water conserving fixtures then why should my county? It’s just gonna scare off developers who can build for less in other areas. Growth in my county will be stagnated if I pass conservation statutes.”
In order to overcome this race-to-the-bottom type of attitude among local leaders, the state needs to act. State leaders must act to make sure that metro Atlanta is dealing with their water issues, and they must act to ensure that greedy developers don’t start shipping Ocmulgee and Savannah River water to keep Atlanta lawns and cars pretty.
The state legislature did try and privatize water back in 2003, so that water flowed with money instead of gravity. It’s worth mentioning that the sponsor of that bill was the Representative from Terrell County in Southwest Georgia, who is still serving. The next time the legislature tries to pass a statewide water plan, it should be based not on money but on a collective state interest and respect for our resources.
By David R
October 22, 2007 11:24 AM | Link to this
OK for those who say that as long as Atlanta is building the roads that lead to nowhere and thats why they deserve the water… That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. O.k., Atlanta is a big city and is very important to the economy of Georgia, but it does not deserve all of the resources that Georgia can provide simply on the merit that it is a big city.
Planning in Atlanta has shown that it has been a failure. Pulling resources from other communities is not the solution here. It is needed to help the situation now, but Atlanta cannot rely on this water for its future. What happens when Atlanta consumes all of the water from these other communities? Where would it get the water then? I agree with Danny O, this is a state problem that needs to be resolved. The state needs to find a way to fix the situation in Atlanta, and help it provide water to the growing population in it.
By Frank Williams
October 22, 2007 11:47 AM | Link to this
The end is near.
By Gig is up
October 22, 2007 12:01 PM | Link to this
How about metro Atlanta’s tax money stay here for a while so we can fix our problems?
Would that be ok with Valdosta and the rest of Georgia?
The power in our state government favors small rural Georgia counties. The only thing they want is the entitlement to our tax dollars without investing in the cash cow.
State leadership has been lacking in the Atlanta region for a long time now. Washing your hands of Atlanta area problems now is ridiculous.
“Pray for Rain” is not sound public policy.
By clarence
October 22, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this
I just love the fact that any time this Republican state government faces any adversity, their gut reaction is to beg the federal government for more money.
By beaz
October 22, 2007 12:24 PM | Link to this
I hope the idiot who wrote this column you quoted realizes how badly up S@#T’s creek he will be if Atlanta’s economy dries up.
By CBL
October 22, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this
Three months from now, your local filling station will be selling imported water at $5 a gallon. The only way to cut demand and save the supply is to raise the price of water significantly.
But that should have been done months ago.
By GeezGuys
October 22, 2007 12:45 PM | Link to this
Sonny Perdue: leader of the oink-oink crowd. That’s the true Republican spirit—it’s mine!Mine!Mine! And I want federal funds to support my fat &%$ too!
How’s it feel to rationalize your greed, Repubs? Pretty warm and happy, huh? Hang on to that feeling, you can drink it when our water supply dries up.
By lk
October 22, 2007 12:58 PM | Link to this
There are some good points in the Valdosta article - Atlanta growth has been poorly planned and development has not been controlled as it should. The way regulation seems to have worked in this state is every man (county) for itself - DeKalb doesn’t cooperate with Fulton, Gwinnett doesn’t cooperate with Hall or Forsyth - we all act like we’re lone wolves here. The areas outside of the metropolitan counties immediately pull the 2 Georgia’s card whenever talk about an issue perceived as “Atlanta” is raised. These issues can be transportation, seat belt use on pick up trucks, raising the teen driving age, education critera, water, roads and taxes. It’s an us v them attitude. Can’t our politicians (supposed to be leaders) see this and stop trying to serve just their jurisdiction and do the right thing for the state as a whole? The entire state benefits from Atlanta’s business and population based taxes and Atlanta benefits from the rest of the states crops and agrictultural business. We are in this together people - we are all Georgians.
By Doug
October 22, 2007 1:00 PM | Link to this
Wow. The same rural counties receiving loads of money skimmed off the top of metro Atlanta’s tax receipts have a problem with urban and suburban water consumption?
Get over it! Pay for your own schools, your own roads and your own government services. There are neighborhoods in Cobb and Fulton with bigger populations than some of these south Georgia counties.
By CJ
October 22, 2007 1:11 PM | Link to this
Have to agree with this comment: that Atlanta is a “poorly designed behomoth of a city”. Come on now, did no one see the lack of water and infrastructure prior to issuing buildng permits for 1000’s of new condos that no one wants or needs (refer to the 31 month supply mentioned last week in the AJC). Dumb, dumb, dumb.
By lk
October 22, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this
There are some good points in the Valdosta article - Atlanta growth has been poorly planned and development has not been controlled as it should. The way regulation seems to have worked in this state is every man (county) for itself - DeKalb doesn’t cooperate with Fulton, Gwinnett doesn’t cooperate with Hall or Forsyth - we all act like we’re lone wolves here. The areas outside of the metropolitan counties immediately pull the 2 Georgia’s card whenever talk about an issue perceived as “Atlanta” is raised. These issues can be transportation, seat belt use on pick up trucks, raising the teen driving age, education critera, water, roads and taxes. It’s an us v them attitude. Can’t our politicians (supposed to be leaders) see this and stop trying to serve just their jurisdiction and do the right thing for the state as a whole? The entire state benefits from Atlanta’s business and population based taxes and Atlanta benefits from the rest of the states crops and agrictultural business. We are in this together people - we are all Georgians.
By JohnM
October 22, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this
Thank you, SpaceyG! I would just love to see the core metro counties leave the State of Georgia and let these jerks fend for themselves without our tax $$$$. It has been popular for far too long for “Downstate” areas to hate on Atlanta, and it is past old. As far as I’m concerned, they have no use for us - the meal ticket that we are, so let them cast their lot with their enlightened neighbors in north Florida and SE Alabama.
Enough is enough. And how in the hell is this south Georgia’s water? The source and the lake are in our part of the State, are they not?
I guess the folks down there have already forgotten how we ran down to help out during the horrible fires.
Screw you and good riddance.
By steve
October 22, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this
While its true that Atlanta’s development has been horrible and that sprawl is rampant, we should not have to let anymore water out of that reservoir than what comes in that reservoir. Adjust the flow to let the natural amount coming in, flow out. Thats not stealing. Right now, we are letting out more water than is coming in and that is just stupid.
But I do hope that our leaders will try to stop the development in the future. Atlanta never needs another strip mall.
By JB
October 22, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this
Here we go again. Atlanta area North Georgia vs South rural Georgia. I think its wrong for South Georgia to try and blame Atlanta area for low water there. The real reason water supply is low in South Georgia is there is a drought. Non of us have control over a drought. Atlanta needs water just like the farmers need water in rural areas. Water supplies are low in Atlanta just as they are in South Georgia. Atlanta has to sacrifice just like South Georgia. Atlanta is under water restrictions. If the Army Corps send all the water from area lakes down stream and we run dry; then who will you blame. This is a shared experience South Georgia. We are in this together.
By water_meister
October 22, 2007 2:24 PM | Link to this
Who cares about south Georgia? Lanier and Alatoona our North Georgia lakes. Let them draw from their SOUTH Georgia lakes!
By MH
October 22, 2007 2:28 PM | Link to this
We all know this is President Bush’s fault!!!!
By woody
October 22, 2007 2:29 PM | Link to this
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!
MOVE THE ENADANGERD MUSCLES AND STURGEON TO LAKE LANIER AND THE OTHER ATLANTA AREA LAKES. THIS WILL MAKE THE LAKES A SANCTUARY. THE FEDS WONT BE ABLE TO TOUCHEM.
CASE SOLVED.
SONNY THE BILL IS IN THE MAIL.
You didnt need “W” afterall!
By JT
October 22, 2007 2:39 PM | Link to this
I grew up in Atlanta in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Atlanta today suks because of the rampant unchecked growth. Greed definitely has governed how the city has expanded.
OK. But revisionist history isn’t going to change the fact that we now have over 4 million people in metro Atlanta.
There are still 4 million plus people in this area who need water to live.
While the Valdosta author is partially correct, he/she is incorrect that we have wasted our water. We’ve had outdoor watering restrictions/bans throughout every year for as long as I can remember. Has Valdosta or any other south Georgia town instituted such watering bans restrictions (maybe they have)?
However, to think that the taxpayers from the metro Atlanta area deserve less than equal water is assinine. Valdosta is a looooooong way from Atlanta. Maybe the good people of South Georgia should attempt to build a resevoir of their own from which to draw their water.
In the meantime, we Atlantans, however wasteful, are paying the bills for the rest of the state, so the whiners need to keep their mouths shut lest the cash cow suddenly stops giving milk……
By wiley
October 22, 2007 2:39 PM | Link to this
Very good article. The metro area’s lack of planning coupled with the arrogance of people like JohnM make me want the water to run out just to see what the idiots will do next. Wouldn’t surprise me if they started piping water from the Savannah River to Atlanta just so the lawns in front of all those mcmansions stay green.
By casey
October 22, 2007 2:56 PM | Link to this
I agree that Atlanta is poorly planned and a political mess. However, the amount of water consumed by the various water systems is very small compared to the amount released downriver. Anything we conserve will just be released out of the lake into the Gulf.
By JerryC
October 22, 2007 3:03 PM | Link to this
During the severe drought in the late 1980’s, it became evident that the existing sources of water for Metro Atlanta were going to be inadequate for either another severe drought or rampant and unchecked growth. Now we are dealing with the consequences of both, and what has been done in the past 20 years? Just a tiny bit more than nothing.
Gwinett County, to its great credit has a gray water recovery program, but it is very limited. Some counties have required low-flow bath fixtures. That’s about it. Have any new regional reservoirs been built or even proposed? No. Have any sources outside the Chattahoochie-Etowah even been seriously explored? No. Have we based allowable growth on anything other than what we now know is a “best case scenario” for water availability? No.
Our great and glorious leader Sonny is appealing to the courts for a Federal bailout that will allow us to thumb our noses at Florida and Alabama. And some of you guys wonder why the folks in other places have little sympathy for Atlanta. Get real!
By gafarmer
October 22, 2007 3:06 PM | Link to this
Well said lk @12:58
By ga native
October 22, 2007 3:13 PM | Link to this
These are “North Georgia’s lakes”? They are all man-made lakes! 100 years ago those lakes did not exist. Georgia has no natural lakes. Man made the lakes to horde the water for specific areas and uses.
By Firefighter JohnM
October 22, 2007 3:16 PM | Link to this
Hey JohnM, I didn’t see you fighting fires down here! I forgive you though, because you were way up in Atlanta making and spending lots of $$$$ to support us!
By Bob
October 22, 2007 3:20 PM | Link to this
The complaint rings true. The crisis is not mostly due to nature, but to foolish profiteering and growth.
It is stupid and wrong to impose water communism in order to reward the short-sighted land-dollar lust of Atlanta by punishing conservation and long-sighted land use regions of the rest of the state.
By dw
October 22, 2007 3:26 PM | Link to this
The constant building of mega-houses and bulldozing of mother nature finest resources (trees which make oxygen and water) have contributed to lack of water in Metro Atlanta. If Governor Perdue and metro Atlanta politicians were smart, they would stop home developers from building houses that are not needed while preserving trees that are needed for water and oxygen.
By Dave the First
October 22, 2007 3:26 PM | Link to this
Stop letting South GA use North Ga’s tax dollars and see how fast they shut up.
By Matt the Brave
October 22, 2007 3:31 PM | Link to this
Does Florida want Valdosta?
By Sir Bo Bo
October 22, 2007 3:40 PM | Link to this
Those who lack responsibility { ATLANTA } will never comprehend these comments. Wait! Worse things await Atlanta!!
By JohnM
October 22, 2007 3:41 PM | Link to this
wiley - You bet I’m a little arrogant at this point, but really I’m just sick and tired of listening to years of Atlanta bashing, while your elected officials come up here once a year and basically screw us! TO me and a lot of other people, it’s you types that come across as arrogant. If it wasn’t for this metro area, you folks would be living in Mississippi. Get over yourselves.
What has your beloved Sonny-Bubba done to help rein in the mindless sprawl? Why he’s all for restarting the Outer Perimeter, that’s what. I guess you’re not aware of the fact that he is in bed with the road building/paving industry. These tools from outside of Atlanta are feeding off the rampant sprawls teet, and laughing all the way to the bank while they bash us out of the corners of their mouths because it plays well back home to “stick it to Atlanta”. We are SICK of the endless, mind-numbing sprawl that is destroying North Georgia, the hideous traffic and the total lack of any type of long term planning.
You all can blame us all you want to, but we know who to blame. All the Republican good ole boys from South Georgia, that’s who. Any sort of progressive type of thinking such as impact fees on new homes & businesses is shot down asap, the legislators from out in the State cry bloody murder. “This is a home-rule state, how dare these city types try to tell us what to do with our property, etc.”
Firefigher - No, I didn’t come to down to fight the fires, but I practically cried every night watching the news while the beautiful swamp burned.
By Jerry
October 22, 2007 3:43 PM | Link to this
If I hear one more self-centered conservative shout “MY TAX DOLLARS” I’ll scream. If every penny and more isn’t spent on “MY” property it’s wasted. Well, folks, we live in a society and there’s a price for that privilege. As for Atlanta, no one who has lived here for at least 25 years would argue that our quality of life is nearly as good now as it was then. It was one a nice big town; now it’s an unliveable hell hole - and a dry one at that.
By Doug C.
October 22, 2007 3:44 PM | Link to this
South Georgia calling us “greedy” and a “city incapable of hearing the word ‘no’ and dealing with it”? .
“The water restrictions meant little to them ‘up there’”
“if they didn’t have six bathrooms, it might ease the situation a bit. That watering your lawn isn’t as important as watering crops. Or that their greedy overbuilding has taxed their supplies of natural resources beyond their capabilities.”
Congratulations, rural Georgia. You elected Sonny “do nothing, but smile” Perdue. You helped make this bed so don’t blame us for having to lie in it.
By Michael
October 22, 2007 3:48 PM | Link to this
Big headline here: agribusiness and real estate developers control the state, the state legislature and most every local government within the state. The result: the southern part of the state, fat with government-subsidized agribusiness, spared the worst of the drought, rakes in piles of corporate welfare, taxpayer-subsidized transportation, better roads, unrestricted water use and a host of other benefits, all at the expense of the more urban, northern part of the state.
Conversely, tax dollars collected in the Atlanta region—where the drought is hugely more severe than in the southern part of the state— do not get returned to the region by the legislature, stacked as it is with agribusiness shills, and so the Atlanta region’s infrastructure begins to decay and collapse even as the greedy, stupid developers destroy more and more arable or forested land.
The Atlanta region, still fighting the segregation wars of the 1950s and 60s, fails to find a way to function as the region it really is, so the city hobbles along as a series of idiotically hunkered-down factions all sneering at each other, saying “we’re not like THEM!”
Georgia’s political system is a study in meanspirited greed and willful ignorance run amok. It’s a shame that this beautiful region has been so contemptuously used by people too stupid to know to love it. What we are seeing now is the forming of the perfect storm that has brewed out of this states most formidable resource: the invidious, idiotic mindset of the state’s so-called leadership class. The state is ruled by parasites, and that’s why it’s coming to this very bad pass.
By JohnM
October 22, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this
Bravo, Michael!
By Mark
October 22, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this
Without Atlanta, Georgia barely qualifies as a state. With the amount of tax revenue Atlanta generates for the State I would think a “thank you” should be in order.
By Bob H
October 22, 2007 3:55 PM | Link to this
To: Frank Williams
I hope so! I’m ready when He is.
By Steve G
October 22, 2007 4:03 PM | Link to this
Having grown up to the south of the big city and now living in the metro Atlanta area, if you don’t think the editorial was right on, just look at what you are paying at the grocery store right now for milk, bread and vegetables. There is a direct correlation. The water should be going for drinking and for watering crops so that we can both eat and drink to survive.
By JD
October 22, 2007 4:07 PM | Link to this
trees suck up water not make it. 3rd grade 101.
atlanta is friggin huge now. you really think that its all people with these “mansions” and green lawns? negative. i bet that those kinds of places consume a small percentage of the water, because only a small percentage of the water consumers (people, mainly) have those. thats just dumb to blame people with lawns for this issue. you just had a bad day, admit it, thats why youre blowing off hot air and nothing else.
we are all georgians. valdosta blaming atlanta and atlanta being high and mighty about the $$ they give is dumb. DUMB. at least the coast isnt complaining :-)
i hate it when people start using those big words. not because im a knuckle grinder and cant understand, but because they have such negative and frankly disgustingly exxaggerated connotations (profiteering, land dollars, etc) you sound like one of those crazies on the internet blaming some man behind a desk for 9/11 or the war or your own anatomical deficiencies, always in the name of money/blood/more than your fair share of solo cups/ - dumb. DUMB.
i could go on for hours, but i doubt many people are still reading, even now.
to sum it up- 1. 90%+ of atlanta doesnt have a green lawn/mansion (why does a mansion even matter? you just want to take a shot at wealthy people? yeah u do - at least they will often buy high-efficiency appliances and have up-to-date stuff that doesnt drain resources like the old trash does - not that theres any crime in not owning that stuff - i dont - im just saying).
again - doesnt matter who manages it, in the end what matters most is who is USING it. i hate to make generalizations or anything, but im gonna make a guess that most of the city of atlanta isnt exactly “repub” (republican, for those of you who dont like to unneccesarily aggravate things). OK if you cant figure it out, Ill say it straight - most people in the City of Atlanta are going to be democrats. not that that means youre a bad person, its just that one person who blamed it on republicans. tsk tsk tsk. liberal and enlightened? negatory on that one.
not NoGeo or SoGeo (North/South Georgia, kinda like them Californians talk) - just Georgia. It is GEORGIA’s problem and we are ALL RESPONSIBLE. not blame - that suggests moving responsibility away from onesself. WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE. WE WILL ALL FIX IT. anyone who sits back taking shots at people who are at least trying will be found guilty of following a more common and unsettling national trend and considered useless. USELESS
By JCS
October 22, 2007 4:11 PM | Link to this
Congratulations, Atlantans. You have made yourselves look as ignorant and self-absorbed as South Georgians think you are. The Valdosta article does not say South Georgia is running out of water, it says that we are unable to use the aquifers available to us because Atlanta lawmakers have limited our withdrawals far more stringently than they have their own.
Moreover, this is not a “Metro” Atlanta problem as much as it is an City of Atlanta problem. Most of the metro counties have other water sources.
Finally, Atlanta is not the tax base cash cow you people in never-never land want to believe it is. Sure, the suburban counties have large tax revenues, but the city itself is a tax drain.
Secede from Georgia? Go ahead. There are other cities with large enough regional economies to sustain the rural areas. Chattanooga, Columbus, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Tallahasee are all better neighbors than the spoiled gorilla to the north. Just don’t ask to come back.
By rkquiet
October 22, 2007 4:21 PM | Link to this
I lived in Valdosta nice city. However, South Georgia need to realize that most of the tax base for the entire states comes fro ATLANTA. Lake Lanier is up here, not in South Georgia. You want to curb your water issues and have water for yoru crops, BUILD A LAKE! Ours should supploy our community needs and others need to do like wise.
By Rick Pitt
October 22, 2007 4:23 PM | Link to this
Environmental resources of the state are resources that belong to everyone in the state. Use of these resources requires that everyone be responsible for protecting and conserving those resources for the good of everyone. Judicious use, protection, conservation and distribution of our resources is ultimately the authority of the state government. God help us, but that is the only answer.
The resources do not belong to Atlanta, Georgia Power or any other large corporation any more than the Florida aquifer is the property of the good people of Waycross; it is a state resource that must be used and protected wisely.
Forsight, planning and conservation is the only way for the future to help us in times of natural disasters.
I remember years ago when a drought struck South Georgia and farmers from all over the Mid West brought tons of hay for the starving cattle in Georgia. Sometimes you have to work together.
By cjc
October 22, 2007 4:35 PM | Link to this
Augusta: Stuck socially in 1970, incompetent government, much more severe racial divide in politics than Atlanta has ever had. Suckles at the teet of the federal and state governments.
Macon: Almost the same problems as Augusta, except it’s much close to Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson.
Savannah: Will sadly be underwater by the middle of the century.
By jujubee66
October 22, 2007 4:35 PM | Link to this
This is the first major city on the east coast that I’ve lived where there is not a major rail system to the suburbs to ease overdevelopment in Atlanta, so why would I be surprised that we’re running out of water. This is the little Southern city that couldn’t!
By ab
October 22, 2007 4:37 PM | Link to this
This author must be referring to the entire 28 county metro Atlanta area. If so, he’s pretty much right as there is no planning.
However, I’m not really interested in being criticised by the rednecks who gladly take Atlanta’s money and then give us city slickers speeding tickets. How about they write some more tickets and pay to truck in the water.
By doug
October 22, 2007 4:41 PM | Link to this
To Rick Pitt:
You sound like a liberal. You and Hillary should go back to NY.
By kenB
October 22, 2007 4:42 PM | Link to this
Praying may not be the most political solution, but it is the only one.
By savannah chris
October 22, 2007 4:44 PM | Link to this
I’m a little late reading this, I was out watering my lawn. No drought down here :)
By The Real Atlantan
October 22, 2007 4:44 PM | Link to this
Tough luck, South Georgia! Hey, Alabama and Florida, don’t think we haven’t been planning a way to reverse flow the ‘Hootch. We’re getting it all back.
The only mussels that are going to benefit from our water are my wrist muscles when I crank open the valve on my hose to water my lawn this evening. Even though it rained today, I’m probably going to wash my gigantic SUV too.
By jeff
October 22, 2007 4:46 PM | Link to this
I have eight toilets but can only use one at a time DUH. But personally I still like the outhouse factor, saves water, you get exersise running back and forth,and you dont spend any more time in it than necessary
By JohnM
October 22, 2007 4:57 PM | Link to this
JCS - I wondered how long it would take for the thinly-veiled race crap to rear it’s head. City of Atlanta a tax drain? LOL!!!!!!!
You are totally clueless. 75% of salaries in this State come from the “T” that is formed by the Airport, Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead and the top end of I-285.
I can assure you, if the 5 core counties were permitted to leave this formerly great state, the only tears to be shed would be out in rural Georgia.
And don’t worry, we wouldn’t WANT to come back.
By Mike
October 22, 2007 5:00 PM | Link to this
I live in Atlanta, was born and raised here. I think the article is dead on. If you disagree with it, first as yourself if you have moved here anytime within the last 15-20 years. If so, you ought to disqualify yourself as part of the problem.
Other parts of Georgia haven’t benefited that much from Atlanta’s economy - only the metro area and perhaps politicians.
Atlanta’s economy is vitally important to the State, but this has been in the making for more than 10 years. Cities south of the metro area put up with sewage spills and water withdrawals for years. Alabama and Florida have been in a battle for several years for very good reasons. While I don’t think we can’t let people go without water, the situation we find ourselves in today shouldn’t be a surprise. The rules and policies have been in effect for years, yet we continue to build and build.
It’s up to us to solve this problem and take actions. It won’t be easy, and I don’t think we should expect people to bail us out.
By EastCobb
October 22, 2007 5:06 PM | Link to this
Does this guy from Valdosta realize that not everyone in Metro Atlanta lives in a “McMansion” and that in fact, many of us are disgusted by the behemoth homes going up, infill housing, the last family farms and stables selling out to developers, trees being mowed down? I’ve been yelling about this for years! I could afford a much bigger home, but I don’t need it. I have a small 70’s ranch, two bathrooms. I’ve retrofitted my bathrooms with low-flow fixtures, I’ve put displacement objects in my high flow toilets, and I HAVE NOT WATERED MY LAWN IN 6 YEARS.
This isn’t solely about Atlantans being greedy, though there is some of that to be sure. This is much more about poor planning on a state and city level, beaurocratic B.S., and horrible communication about the depth of the problem. I’m personnaly disgusted that we had to reach this crisis point in order to hear the truth from our politicians and get widespread coverage to the public.
Our world is moving fast and we’re all spread thin (as individuals, as a city, as a state, as a country, as a world). I don’t know exactly where the blame should land, and right now I don’t care. Right now I’m more interested in (a) cutting through the red tape so we can have some short term relief; (b) seeing a SERIOUS water conservation plan rolled out, with major consequences for violators, for the mid-term; (c) a serious review of our land development licensing protocol statewide and; (d) a major focus on long term planning for all of our resources and infrastructure.
This is a big wake up call to ALL Georgians, ALL Americans. This is not just drought, greed, government inefficiency, it’s a multi-faceted problem that will need a multi-faceted solution. Like it or not, we need each other and we need our neighboring states. Let’s focus on fixing this instead of tearing each other apart…we have the opportunity to lead the way for other growing cities if we react to this crisis appropriately.
By JohnM
October 22, 2007 5:13 PM | Link to this
jujubee - You are aware that the most recent polls showed 72% would love to have commuter rail?
Sorry, but Sonny-Bubba would rather you glide down 20+ lane wide expressways so his paving buddies can pay for their dove hunting plantations outside of Thomasville. Wait around about 20 or so years, we may get rail one day.
By swolf4810
October 22, 2007 5:16 PM | Link to this
“Skimming the cream off of YOUR tax dollars!!!! I don’t freakin thinks so! CHeck the records butthead….the rural counties get less than what we pay in in taxes to the state (and the federal government too) EVERY YEAR! I’m 50 years old and its ALWAYS been that way…and I guess it always will be. You ‘me-me-me” twits in the Metro area can always outvote us….. so I guess you’ll steal all the dammed water too in the end!
By DJ
October 22, 2007 5:20 PM | Link to this
“In metro Atlanta, Gov. Sonny Perdue has successfully cast the debate over water as a case of mollusk versus man.”
SAYS WHO?? Just because Wooten, Boortz, and the rest of the “right-wing apologists” keep repeating the “water problem is because of liberals protecting mussels” mantra, doesn’t mean (A) it’s true, or (B) that ‘metro atlanta’ believes it.
PLENTY of us ‘metro atlantans’ think it has a lot to do with greedy, un-regulated (or good ol’boy ‘bought and paid for’ regulations) development and p**-poor (pun intended) infrastructure management and long-term investment.
How is it possible to be having a conversation about a widespread area water crisis without mentioning even once that the metro area’s population has practically tripled in the last 25 years (and i’m willing to bet that per-capita water consumption is also up).
It is unconscionable how the press just parrots these assumptions without taking a critical look at how largely unreglated development is impacting the area. Talk about an abdication of the public trust.
By MA
October 22, 2007 5:29 PM | Link to this
This is a typical “lived in the same town my whole life culturally challenged” type of article.
And your amazing toilet logic, well, a person with six toilets uses the same amount of water as a person with one toilet, provided they both use a toilet the same amount of times per day (minus the initial water to fill the five extra tanks which is quite negligible over the life of a toilet). And next time, try to spell behemoth right.
By JCS
October 22, 2007 5:40 PM | Link to this
JohnM, nobody said anything about race. I did say the city was/is/will be mismanaged. I don’t care what color their skin is, stupid decisions have put Atlanta in this predicament, and other stupid decisions have led to the resentment rural Georgians feel about the city.
As for your 75% number, nice try. Next time, make up a more believable fake stat. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go move my car out of the rain. I washed it yesterday and don’t want it to get muddy.
By catman
October 22, 2007 6:54 PM | Link to this
Data point: In 1977, when the Atlanta perimeter was 2 lanes in each direction and there was a dairy farm where the Perimeter Mall now stands, Gwinett county had thousands of trailers and shacks with outhouses and no running water. Georgia 400 was virtually free of traffic up past lake Lanier, which had very few boats.
But there was never a shortage of water.
By ggg
October 22, 2007 7:21 PM | Link to this
Isn’t it true that the water that Atlantans use for drinking, showering, etc. is treated and put back into the Chattahoochee? I understand water used for lawn irrigation is lost, but all that has been banned.
By Reid in EAV
October 22, 2007 8:09 PM | Link to this
I don’t necessarily cotton to the tone of the Valdosta editorial (do southern people still use that phrase?), but the salient points are valid. Yes, Atlanta has grown, and it has not grown in any way approaching “smart.” Want to know why we don’t have enough water? Look no further. However, it’s lunacy to blame developers and suburbanites for this situation — they’re only following the path of least resistance in terms of suburban style zoning (wide separation of uses, “traffic sewer”-style roads, dendrite subdivisions dumping onto collector roads). Instead blame regional and, yes, state elected officials for creating and maintaining the template for cancerous, unsustainable growth — do rural counties have something to do with underfunding metro Atlanta transit (MARTA is the only major metro transit agency not to get a single state dollar) and commuter rail, and voting down sensible growth regulations (mandating low-flow devices, instituting metro-wide impact fees, etc.)? Via their dominance of the state legislature via the GOP majority, definitely.
Bottom line: does Atlanta’s gobbling of resources hurt rural south Georgia counties? You betcha. Could their elected officials have done something before now to ease the inevitable crunch? Oh yes. (Sonny’s not from Atlanta, you know.)
By Brian
October 23, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this
How can valdosta comment about this. They are not in a extream drought stage. All the rain is always south. Look at the drought map they are not in as bad of a drought.
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_southeast.htm
I live 50 miles north east of altanta right at lake lanner. 3x the normal water is being released. I live right next to the lake and it is getting lower and lower every day. All we are asking is for the lake to go to normal outflow from the dam. The rain we get is gone from the lake quickly after the rain because of the outflow of water from the dam.
By Jim McClellan
October 23, 2007 5:09 PM | Link to this
The folks in Atlanta are just now experiencing what we here in North Florida have been dealing with for years. The Apalachicola River is nearly running dry. Today, it is on 0.71 feet in Blountstown. It has been less than 2 feet for months now.
Under normal circumstances, the river should be between 6 and 15 feet, but we haven’t seen those levels consistently for years.
You can’t just keep using more and more water and expect there to be no consequences. My guess is that the local officials in Metro Atlanta are still issuing building permits as fast as they can go — with no clue where they will get the water they will need to support the new development.
By Zoe
October 25, 2007 12:12 AM | Link to this
Some of you sure shoot off your mouth a lot to be in the situation Atlanta finds it self. Since you think so poorly of the rest of Georgia, perhaps you can look to your dry lakes for more water.
By Nathan
October 25, 2007 12:38 AM | Link to this
Guess what my friends, I am not sure if they teach this in Atlanta schools or not, but Georgia extends beyond the city limits of Atlanta. I know, I know this probably caught a lot of you off guard, but it is the truth I promise. The fact that some of you have made stupid comments such as “They can call us what ever they want as long as they know who is boss” or ”As long as we are building our roads to nowhere, at least they can give us the water” Those statements explains and should make you understand why the rest of the “real” Georgia thinks what they think about Atlanta. Which is that most, not all, but most are spoiled little runts who have no mental scope of the importance of the rest of this state as well as the importance of it’s people. Some of you stated that Atlanta pays for our schools in South Georgia. Wrong! I live in a community that just spent over 15 million dollars on renovating our schools and not one dime came from Atlanta or anywhere near it. It was paid by our city and county from our taxes not yours. Some of you are living in a bubble that is getting ready to burst. Do you really think that now that the cat is out of the bag of the vulnerability of your water supply that companies will continue to invest in your city? Some will, but some will not. Most industries take lots and lots of water to operate, they will realize they will be better served in other parts of this state. So keep your head stuck up your almighty asses, you never know you might find some water you need up there. Oh and next time you go to your local produce stand, remember where a lot of that produce came from.
By Nathan
October 25, 2007 12:49 AM | Link to this
On more thing, why are some of you talking like South Georgia wants your water and telling us how we need to build lakes like you all have. What are you talking about, we set on one of the biggest water supplies in the country, we don’t need to build lakes and we sure as hell don’t need your water, you need ours.