Atlanta: Without Heavy Rain, City Could Run Out of Water in 90 to 121 days

[KC0KEK]

Sorry, I didn't pay attention in meteorology class that day.

That means you are qualified to work as a TV weathercaster.

[phuqueue]

New York City pipes in water hundreds of miles from the Adirondacks.  The tubes are so large that you could drive a big dumptruck through them.  There are actually three of them.

Unavailable for comment.

[st steven]

Interesting. Thanks for the link. At this time, desalinization is prohibitively expensive--or at the very least economically inefficient a la solar or wind power.

We don't so much "lose" water; it does shift around. But we are placing serious strains on freshwater sources.

[Highlander]

...said the Middle East.

My point was that only in the US do you see people migrating in mass scale to areas on the basis of a more comfortable climate.  You certainly do not see French people moving in large masses to the south coast or Russians moving to the Black Sea Coast by the millions.

[eliphar17]

Does the amount of water on the planet always remain the same (just redistributed differently based on weather patterns) or are we losing water?  Sorry, I didn't pay attention in meteorology class that day.

Ask yourself a pretty simple question - where would the water go?

No question this has been a crazy year for climate stuff. Here in central Oklahoma, we have already broken the 110-year record for total yearly rainfall, and there are still 2.5 months left in the year. Not surprising then that some other part of the U.S., specifically the Southeast, is in a record drought.

[ignatius]

I think we'll be able to control the weather within 50 years, for better or worse.  Probably not accurately at first, but able to make clear alterations.

The weather is mostly controlled by ocean currents and the knowledge of the current impact is growing fast.  Someday, we'll be building massive movable walls in the ocean that changes the course just enough to alter weather.  It will happen someday.

This probably will not be wise in the end.  To improve weather for one area will likely create a disaster for another area. 

But many think human cloning should never happen - it will happen because it can happen. Just as murder happens because it can, no matter how illegal you make it.

[LindseyLohan]

We should take every effort possible to accelerate global warming and flood the lands with melted ice caps...

[Linkin5]

Ummmm    I completely agree!

[Joemoney]

My point was that only in the US do you see people migrating in mass scale to areas on the basis of a more comfortable climate.  You certainly do not see French people moving in large masses to the south coast or Russians moving to the Black Sea Coast by the millions.

Your point is invalid.  The United States is one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world.  Most countries do not have "better climates" to move to.  And those that do, the majority of the population is often poor (ie China).  I mean, most other (similar economically) countries are so small, if you move from the northern part of the country to the south there is almost no difference in climate.

[Highlander]

Your point is invalid.  The United States is one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world.  Most countries do not have "better climates" to move to.  And those that do, the majority of the population is often poor (ie China).  I mean, most other (similar economically) countries are so small, if you move from the northern part of the country to the south there is almost no difference in climate.

You really need to get out more.  Here in little Britain, the climate is very diverse and people do move around on the basis of climate but at nothing near the scale of the US. 

I might add that Europeans can live anywhere they want in the EU, yet we do not see enough migration to southern climes to change demographics like we have in the desert SW.   

[bbqboy]

You really need to get out more.  Here in little Britain, the climate is very diverse and people do move around on the basis of climate but at nothing near the scale of the US. 

Joe's happy hanging out amongst the Palm Trees and Sand

at the Missouri River Beach in South Omaha.

[AllThingsKC]

^ Yep!  I love the North Coast!

[Joemoney]

You really need to get out more.  Here in little Britain, the climate is very diverse and people do move around on the basis of climate but at nothing near the scale of the US. 

I might add that Europeans can live anywhere they want in the EU, yet we do not see enough migration to southern climes to change demographics like we have in the desert SW. 

1.  Britain is NOT very diverse.  Show me your tropical beaches.  Show me your desert (a real desert, not a patch of sand).  Nebraska has got more desert than England (the sand hills).  Show me your snowy mountains (a real mountain, not a big grassy hill in Scotland).  You have none.  Britain is one giant Maine.  That's all it is.

2.  Again, you're missing the reason entirely.  People in the EU don't move around as much because of LANGUAGE barriers.  An English speaker from England is not going to move to Spain or France!  They don't speak the language.  In the US, we don't have that problem.  And don't give me the "all Europeans speak 4 languages" crap.

[LenexatoKCMO]

People in the EU don't move around as much because of LANGUAGE barriers. 

That and they don't like each other much.  There are a lot deeper cultural reasons than just language to explain why you don't sees Swedes moving in droves to go live on the Italian Riviera. 

[BVC]

That and they don't like each other much.

Yep, my wife was born behind the Iron Curtain as were many of her friends and there really is a disdain for other neighboring nations.

Anyway, talk in Atlanta is heating up on this topic.  Two real problems for Atlanta and Georgia:  Alabama takes our water and Florida does so in addtion to protect some half-ass mussel species.  The Corps of Engineers is reviewing this but it will take 3 years.  Well, in case they've missed it, they've been releasing water so fast that they will run the reservoirs dry at the current pace.  Rainfall is off but not so much where the reservoirs need to be run down to the point they're at now.  What this really boils down to is government incompetence from the feds to the states.

[Highlander]

That and they don't like each other much.  There are a lot deeper cultural reasons than just language to explain why you don't sees Swedes moving in droves to go live on the Italian Riviera. 

Actually Brits, Germans and Scandinavians do move to the south cost of Spain and Portugal and throughout France with surprising regularity.   Just not enough to alter the demographics like the migration the SW in the US over the last 30 years.  I certainly have not seen any evidence that they do not like each other.

1.  Britain is NOT very diverse.  Show me your tropical beaches.  Show me your desert (a real desert, not a patch of sand).  Nebraska has got more desert than England (the sand hills).  Show me your snowy mountains (a real mountain, not a big grassy hill in Scotland).  You have none.  Britain is one giant Maine.  That's all it is.

2.  Again, you're missing the reason entirely.  People in the EU don't move around as much because of LANGUAGE barriers.  An English speaker from England is not going to move to Spain or France!  They don't speak the language.  In the US, we don't have that problem.  And don't give me the "all Europeans speak 4 languages" crap.

First of all, I'm not British.  So, leave off the "show me your tropical beaches" crap.

Second, Britain is far more diverse than you think it is, you don't need deserts to be diverse and there are plenty of snowy mountains in Scotland.  The south coast is much warmer than the north of England, not to mention Scotland, and people holiday down there all the time because of the warm weather.  And by the way, palm trees thrive along the southern UK coast.  Hardly reminiscent of Maine.

Third, Brits, Scandinavians, Germans move to Spain, France and Portugal all the time.  Even the small town I live in is plastered with real estate business's that cater to those buying homes in France, Spain, Portugal etc...   They just do not move in the numbers that alter the demographics of the area like Americans do towards the SW.  And if language barriers are all that huge, why after admitting Poland to the EU, has the population of Ireland become >10% Polish?  Language did not stop them....but they aren't moving to Ireland for the climate, it's for the jobs.

And fourth, QUIT TELLING ME WHAT THE REALITY OF EUROPE IS WHEN I LIVE HERE.  You don't and from your posts, I suspect you've never even been here.  

Americans move on the basis of recreation potential and climate far more than the rest of the world.  That is uniquely American.  It happens elsewhere but not to the extent that it happens in the US.  THAT was my observation, it is a valid observation regardless of the reason.  I was not making a point about the relative size of the US, or its diversity, or wealth.  YOU added that.  Of course the US is more diverse than individual European nations (climate and topographically-wise) it's much larger.       

[ComandanteCero]

I think many of the desert cities of the middle east exist because the countries/populations need to succeed despite their geography.  They have no option, it's not like you can move your kingdom out of the desert into a more favorable environment.  More importantly most of the true desert cities have very small populations.  Most of the larger more famous Middle Eastern cities are next to the sea or on large rivers (Nile, Tigris).  I can't think of any Middle Eastern city remotely like Las Vegas (a 2 million person metro in the middle of the desert).

The U.S is large enough that it doesn't have any shortage of favorable locations.  But people have figured out that if they get enough a/c going, and water their lawns enough, they might be able to recreate the midwest in the middle of the desert.  Reality will catch up with them in the coming decades.

[ComandanteCero]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/20/georgi ... index.html

The Corps -- under an agreement reached in the 1980s with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- releases 5,000 feet of water per second from the dam between the manmade lake and the Chattahoochee River.

The released water is used by power plants in Florida and Alabama and helps keep endangered mussels and sturgeon alive.

"What we've learned from this is what a blunt weapon the Endangered Species Act has become, where some obscure bureaucrat in Fish and Wildlife and some obscure judge can decide that mussels are more important than our children and grandchildren," said U.S. Rep. John Linder, R-Georgia, who spoke after Perdue at Saturday's news conference.

Perdue blasted what he called the "silly rules" governing the water situation, noting that even if the state got replenishing rains, it could not by law conserve those and must release the water to run downstream.

"We are also mired in a frustrating manmade disaster of federal bureaucracy," Perdue said.

"The actions of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Services are downright dangerous, and Georgia cannot stand for this negligence."

[KCFutbol]

QUIT TELLING ME WHAT THE REALITY OF EUROPE IS WHEN I LIVE HERE.  You don't and from your posts, I suspect you've never even been here.

Cut Joe some slack, he doesn't even know what's happening in the town he lives in. 

[Joemoney]

Second, Britain is far more diverse than you think it is, you don't need deserts to be diverse and there are plenty of snowy mountains in Scotland.

This is the highest peak of all of Britain:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Nevis

That's a sissy boy's mountain.  A one legged man with a blindfold on could climb that.

The south coast is much warmer than the north of England, not to mention Scotland, and people holiday down there all the time because of the warm weather.  And by the way, palm trees thrive along the southern UK coast.  Hardly reminiscent of Maine.

FIRST of all.  Your definition of "much warmer" is skewed.  SUB ZERO temperatures is cold, 100+ is hot.  If you don't have that, you don't have shit.

According to Wikipedia..."Generally, summer temperatures rarely go above 30 °C."  30C = 86F.  Rarely go above 86?  86 is a COOL DOWN in the midwest summer.  Good time to mow the lawn before it gets hot again.

Language did not stop them....but they aren't moving to Ireland for the climate, it's for the jobs.

That's because they're poor.

Of course the US is more diverse than individual European nations (climate and topographically-wise) it's much larger.     

The US is more geographically diverse than ALL of Europe combined, times 10.  From Death Valley to Prudhoe Bay.  From islands of Hawaii to endless Midwest farmland.  We have everything.  Europe is moderate and redundant.

Even Europe's beaches in the south (Spain, France, Greece, etc) are crap.  The sand is rocky (unless they import good sand in) and it's not very tropical (not many palm trees, save for the ones they transplanted).  And it's not very hot and the water is cold and the waves are small (bad surf and bodyboarding).