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This Georgia lake has seen wetter days.
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Posted 9 weeks 1 day ago
Will drought spark a water war between the states?
As water supplies dry up in the southeast, Georgia and Tennessee have become embroiled in a dispute over access to water from the Tennessee River. The argument could go to the U.S. Supreme Court, and could end with a $2 billion settlement in order for Georgia to gain access to the river water.
"Georgia not only has legal and historical claim to the Tennessee River, but it has an ecological one because all of Northwest Georgia drains into the Tennessee River," Georgia State Sen. David Shafer told the Chattanooga Times-Free Press.
Some environmentalists say such battles will increase along with global warming. Will they? And how will the disputes be resolved?
Thoughts
Pricing and Water
Submitted on March 13th, 2008 by Chuck_JohnsonThe problem is pricing. The economy hasn't done a good job with pricing because there are so many rules against selling water or reselling water that it is no secret that people will use it carelessly.
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Chuck Johnson is a student at Claremont McKenna College. Feel free to contact him.
Reckless Use of Water
Submitted on March 13th, 2008 by AnonymousInterestingly enough Georgia's claims about rights to the Tennessee river come as water restrictions have been lifted in the Atlanta area. Atlanta has seen uncontrolled growth for decades and should only blame itself for mismanagement of water resources. At this point, Georgia does use the Tennessee River watershed in various places. The state is already draining the Tennessee River of its resources. If the state is allowed to take directly from the TN River it could disrupt the economies of its own state, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky which all lie downstream. This is true madness. If Georgia continues on its path to drain the river and taxpayers (fighting the fight) I think it would be a great idea to just call for a boycott of the Peach State!
Water Issues
Submitted on March 13th, 2008 by AnonymousIt should be added to the comments of both writers that at least in Denver, Colorado (a high mountain desert) that the amount of water used to water concrete is amazing. This I have seen in many other cities also. Added to this the City of Denver waters in the rain. Colorado also does not allow use of grey water. Finally what of the old water distribution systems that are failing. We have water just no plan to conserve it.