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four out of the past six years, Athens and much
of Georgia have been mired in drought.
At one point in late 2007, it got so bad that
Athens-Clarke County officials considered importing bottled
water and tapping Lake Chapman in Sandy Creek Park, because
the city only had six weeks' worth of drinking water left.
"If it's yellow, let it mellow" became Athenians' motto.
People wouldn't flush a toilet, let alone wash a car or sprinkle
a lawn. Not even former Gov. Sonny Perdue's prayers would
open up the skies.
The situation improved by 2009. But in 2011, drought
struck again.
Heavy rainfall this year???including a record nine inches
in February???has refilled rivers, aquifers and reservoirs and
recharged the soil.
"I think the last six months, we've been back to normal,
but it takes a while for those things to recover," Athens-Clarke
County Water Conservation Coordinator Marilyn Hall says.
Drought is lingering only in a small slice of the Georgia
coast near Brunswick, according to University of Georgia cli
matologist Pam Knox. "After this week, after all the rain we've
gotten since January, the whole state
will be drought-free," Knox says.
Effective May 1, Mayor Nancy
Denson eased outdoor watering
restrictions for the first time in two
years, and the restrictions could go
away entirely within the next month
or two.
Athens' water conservation efforts have been highly effec
tive. Residents and businesses are using an average of 11 mil
lion gallons of water per day this month. Last summer???the
season when there's the least rainfall, evaporation is highest
and people use the most water???the average daily use was
14 million gallons, down from a peak of 26 million before the
2007-2009 drought. "It's about on par with what we've been
using since the big drought four years ago," Hall says.
Part of that drop is due to more awareness of water issues
stemming from the crisis six years ago. "We used to think of
water as an unlimited resource," Denson says. "I think citizens
and government alike are thinking about it differently now."
And even though the drought is all but over, Athens resi
dents continue to conserve, Hall says. Interest is still high in
events like Roll Out the Barrels, an auction of artist-decorated
rain barrels to benefit environment education Friday, May 17 at
5:30 p.m. at the Lyndon House Arts Center. "If anything, it's
increased," Hall says. "I think our last drip-irrigation class was
full. We had a waiting list. People are ready to be ready for the
next drought."
There's no telling when that next drought might come, but
"I don't see us going back into a drought anytime soon," Knox
says.
Weather patterns have been moving north-south, rather
than east-west like they usually do, which accounts for all the
recent rain, as well as the wild temperature swings, she says.
The rain was enough to drench the soil so that Georgia can
withstand a dry period. "It's like a bank account," she says.
"Even if we go through a dry period, you have something to
build on."
Summer rains in Georgia mainly depend on whether any
tropical storms drift over the state. Experts are predicting an
active hurricane season, but more of the storms are expected
to hit the East Coast, not the Gulf Coast, she says. An El Nino
weather pattern hasn't developed off South America's Pacific
coast???which means more tropical storms in North America???
but if one does, the warmer water will mean fewer tropical
storms. However, such predictions are iffy, she says.
The uncertainty is one reason why Chris Manganiello, policy
director at the Athens-based Georgia
River Network, questions the decision
to lift outdoor water restrictions.
He agrees that bodies of water like
the North and Middle Oconee riv
ers (Athens' main water sources)
and Bear Creek Reservoir in Jackson
County (our source when the rivers
get too low) are "in pretty good shape." In fact, the North
Oconee flooded last week, as anyone who tried to go on the
greenway can attest to.
"I can't remember when the North Oconee and Trail Creek
almost jumped their banks, but of course it's not going to rain
forever," Manganiello says.
Changing the outdoor watering rules could get people out
of the habit of conserving, he says. "What makes me nervous is
people have gotten used to these restrictions," he says. "Do we
really want to tweak them, particularly if we have to change
them back?"
Old habits die hard, though. Denson says she hasn't turned
on a hose outside since her husband died. "When Bob was
alive, we had huge water bills," she says. "I haven't watered
the yard in seven years. It's still green. It's not dead."
Athens' tiered pricing system is still in place, which should
tamp down on excess water use. The system, instituted in
2008, during a previous drought, set a baseline for households'
water usage, then charges extra for using more. "I've strayed
out of that base rate a couple times, and it's made me think
hard about how I'm using that water," Manganiello says.
Denson says she receives weekly reports on local stream
flows, reservoir level and soil moisture. The Upper Oconee
Basin Water Authority???a partnership among Athens-Clarke,
Barrow, Jackson and Oconee counties to run Bear Creek
Reservoir???meets monthly to discuss outdoor watering restric
tions and other issues. Any restrictions in effect in Athens are
in effect in the other four counties, as well.
"We'll be keeping a close eye on it, but unless weather pat
terns change drastically, we should be fine through this sum
mer season," Denson says.
Blake Aued
What Are the Watering Restrictions?
* People with odd-numbered addresses can water on
Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
* People with even-numbered addresses can water
on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays
* Spray irrigation, lawn sprinkling and hand water
ing without an automatic shutoff are still banned
between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
* Non-commercial carwashes, filling pools, watering
food gardens, hand watering, pressure washing by
homeowners and hosing off sidewalks are allowed
anytime on the appropriate day.
* Drip irrigation, soaker hoses, commercial pressure
washing, irrigating newly installed turf for the
first 30 days, watering golf course tee boxes and
greens, hydroseeding, using well water and rain
water and reusing gray water are allowed any day,
any time.
* A permit from the Athens-Clarke Public Utilities
Department is required to spray-irrigate new plant
ings on weekdays.
"After all the rain we've gotten
since January, the whole state
will be drought-free."
6 FLAGP0LE.C0M ??? MAY 15, 2013
BLAKE AJED