The Op-Ed, 'Entire Southeast needs a new strategy for conserving water', appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 21 December 2010. The main author is John Kominoski of the University of Georgia's Odum School of Ecology, one of my co-authors on the Cadillac Desert paper we published a few weeks ago.
Kominoski states that the Southeast has insuffcient freshwater storage capacity much like the Southwest:
There are many climatic and geographic differences between the Southeast and the Southwest, but where water is concerned we share a common ground.
Like the Southwest, the Southeast does not have sufficient fresh water capacity to meet its needs. Our research finds that reservoirs in the Southeast have a low capacity to store water because of high evaporation losses. Piedmont cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Birmingham receive less surface water than coastal urban centers with much larger drainage areas.
As the severe water shortages during the droughts in the summers of 2002, 2005 and 2007 made clear, water supply in the Southeast is dependent upon precipitation, which is likely to be more uncertain in the near future.
The Southeast's relatively small reservoirs are designed to be 'filled up' every few years, a fact that was explained in detail to me a decade ago by a water resources engineer. He told me that the Eastern freshwater storage reservors are meant to be filled by the heavy rains resulting from hurricanes and tropical storms that occur during the 'hurricane months'.
Kominoski also notes:
The future of fresh water sustainability is further challenged by climate change and population growth. Georgia, Florida and North Carolina are among the top nine states in population growth in the U.S. This growth will place increased stress on limited water resources in the region.
'Population growth' is interesting; few people mention that as a threat to freshwater sustainability. But it is; it's that in most places, population growth is seen as key to increasing economic growth, which is a good thing, right? Much of Atlanta's water difficulties can be blamed on unbridled, unplanned, but highly-desired growth with little consideration given to where the water would come from.
The use of small-scale irrigated agriculture, the topic of a New York Times Op-Ed, 'Let the East bloom again', by two UAH professors over three years ago, might be an option. Reservoirs on individual farms would store winter precipitation and then use it for irrigation during the summer, helping to preserve summer streamflows.
In the Op-Ed there is little mention of groundwater; I think 'aquifer' is mentioned once. Yet Aquifer Storage and Recovery and Artificial Recharge (ASR and AR) are managment tools that should be explored. ASR and AR probably won't be helpful in the Piedmont because its geology, but there are likely other areas (granular and carbonate aquifers) in the Southeast that might be suitable.
And don't forget groundwater for water supply and the need to develop regional governance for transboundary aquifers, such as the Memphis Sand aquifer.
"The good news is that we can choose to avoid tragedy by placing a higher value on water. We must view water as a limited, often unreliable resource. We must include the realistic value of healthy fresh water and coastal ecosystems that rely on fresh water to support fisheries and tourism-based economies and other services." -- John Kominoski, from the Op-Ed
No groundwater, no greywater.
What a pity, especially in light of UGA being ranked in the top 18 Green Honor Roll of college campuses for 2010-2011. The University of Georgia came in first as the nation's "top party school", too.
Sounds like the water war party in the southeast will never end.
Posted by: Rainbow Water Coalition | Wednesday, 29 December 2010 at 08:56 AM
Good point, nicely made. From memory, the author is a post-doc and, presumably, young. It's important that when he hangs ideas out there he gets more than a slap on the back and cheap smile but doesn't get beaten up.
Posted by: Emily Green | Wednesday, 29 December 2010 at 07:56 AM