Time to plan for the next drought

On June 10, Georgia declared “mission accomplished” and lifted emergency outdoor watering restrictions across the state.

The drought may be over, but we still have a long way to go in terms of achieving an actual “culture of conservation.” That was what Gov. Sonny Perdue said Georgia needed last year, during the drought.

Through a combination of regulation and incentives over the past two years, Georgians achieved what some thought unthinkable —- a 15 percent reduction in water use. Georgians should be proud of how far they have come in so short a time.

However, much of the state is still suffering from the impact of this latest in a series of recent severe droughts.

In North Georgia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released water from Lake Lanier only to meet metro Atlanta water supply needs and to dilute the region’s wastewater as it is discharged back into the Chattahoochee River.

Meanwhile, the Metro Water Planning District has committed to a meager 13 percent reduction in water use over the next 27 years —- in other words, less than what the rest of the state has already achieved through temporary outdoor watering restrictions.

Metro Atlanta’s failure to act with permanent water-saving measures has left other uses coming up short —- literally.

In spite of what some may view as intense water hoarding by the region, Lake Lanier remains 4 feet below full pool, and the Chattahoochee River itself continues to suffer unhealthily low flows. That means less water for fishing, recreation and downstream users.

A serious culture of conservation will ensure that we do not lose the savings we have achieved so far. It’s not fair to the businesses and families who have given up old, intense water uses in hopes of a sustainable future.

Merely recommending that people refrain from watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. is not enough. A permanent ban on wasteful daytime watering by all users is essential if we’re going to retain the 15 percent water savings we’ve achieved to date.

Second, the state must support legislation that provides homeowners, businesses and local governments with the tools and flexibility they need to save water. House Bill 1281 must be allowed to sunset in July 2010.

This legislation prohibits local governments from imposing outdoor watering restrictions that are more stringent than those imposed by the state without going through a lengthy approval process. The restriction hamstrings local governments, preventing them from doing what is necessary to meet water supply needs locally.

Amazingly, even innocuous measures such as requiring sub-meters for individual units in apartment complexes and prohibiting covenants from requiring water-intensive landscaping —- both measures that simply provide an option for individuals to save water if they so choose —- have yet to pass our state Legislature.

Third, the state should provide matching grants to local governments to help them invest in water efficiency measures, conservation rate design and green infrastructure necessary to achieve long-term water savings.

The Obama administration has given us a good start, but we can and should do more to make taxpayer dollars go further.

No matter what happens in the short term, one thing is certain. We will face another drought soon enough. Perhaps within the next four to six years, if past trends continue.

No family starts on a car trip with an empty gas tank. We owe it to ourselves and our children to be ready next time.

We know we are going to have another drought, just as motorists know the gas tank will run dry.

Sally Bethea is the executive director of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.