Drought raises concerns

When numerous students across East Campus stepped into surprisingly cold showers Monday morning, most quickly came to the same conclusion.

"They're probably restricting hot water because of the drought," said Davin Green, a first-year Biomedical Engineering major. "I guess they want us to take shorter showers."

While, in the end, the temporary change to cold water showers was due to a steam pipe break that morning, the occurrence showed that Georgia's current water crisis is ever-present in the minds of Tech students. Since early this summer, water levels in the state's lakes, rivers and other natural water sources have decreased greatly as a result of a two-year long drought affecting much of the Southeast. According to state and federal officials, North Georgia and Atlanta's main water source Lake Lanier only holds enough water storage for three months. Lake Lanier and its reservoirs are more than half-way depleted, and thus, have caused a state of emergency in the entire state of Georgia.

"We are now in the dry cycle of the climate, and it's the second year," said Professor Aris Georgakakos, director of the Georgia Water Resources Institute (GWRI) at Tech. "The droughts in this region usually last for four years or more...if we are in the second year of the drought now, chances are that we will have a drought next year, and the year after that. So, we probably have not seen the end of this crisis."

The GWRI works with state, national and international groups to develop multidisciplinary solutions and information decision support systems for hydrological problems. Currently, the Institute is working with and advising state and federal officials with the Southeast's water crisis. Along with the state's Environmental Protection Department, the GWRI has drafted and sent in a bill for a drought contingency plan in the state legislature. According to the GWRI, the current water crisis and drought make up the third most severe drought in recent history, spanning from the early 1980's until now. The current water shortage has been attributed to four factors: the variability of the weather and climate of the region; the population demand for water in the state of Georgia; the legal processes and decisions made this year concerning the preservation of endangered species in the Apalachicola River and the ability for the political and legal systems to work together in a time of need.

Reflecting on all of the factors, one of the largest strains on the water source has been the subject of a legal battle between governor Sonny Perdue and the Army Corps of Engineers. Because of the presence of endangered mussels and sturgeon downriver in Alabama and Florida, the Army Corps releases approximately 5,000 gallons of water per second from Georgia's Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River in order to sustain their environment (totaling nearly 3.2 billion gallons a day). In response, Perdue has filed an appeal of a June verdict that denied the shutdown of the released water, but has not received a decision. Thus, this has caused numerous bans and cutbacks in water usage from the state government in the past few months.

To help alleviate the situation, Tech's Department of Housing has recommended ways for students living on campus to cut down on their own water usage. In an email sent out to students living on campus, Housing suggested that students conserve water by easily changing their routines by taking shorter showers; not letting the water run while washing dishes, brushing teeth, or shaving; doing only full loads of laundry; using tap water sparingly; and avoiding using garbage disposals. Even small reductions in water usage such as these could save up to 750 to 1,500 gallons per month.

Student organizations and groups have begun to conserve water and "go green" in an effort to help the environment in even greater scales. For example, this year's Honors Program has begun a project called the "Carbon Challenge" to help alleviate tension on the environment.

"[The students] are in the process of working out a plan of action students can use as a guideline to minimize their personal carbon footprints," said Dr. Monica Halka, associate director of the Honors Program. "An action item on the list is 'taking briefer showers.' Also, we are starting a 'Sustainability Test Garden' outside the Honors Program dorm, Howell Hall. For this garden, we will catch water from the downspouts in barrels to use for watering. Faced with an imminent water shortage in the short-term and well into the future, the most important things we can teach and model for our students are conservation and innovation," Halka said.

On an even greater scale, Tech can also do its part to help conserve water now, and invest in water-saving technologies and procedures for the future.

"Our campus is a microcosm of the rest of the city. I think the university as a whole might need to look into the devices we use, like the toilets; different technologies that can actually flush with much less water," Georgakakos said. "I think the difference could be significant actually. It could be 1.6 liters or gallons versus 3 and a half, four or five gallons of water...the university as a whole could look into this and set an example for the city as well. I know this can make a difference. I just don't know what the total volume of water we use here is. Whatever we can do to conserve, it's a good thing."

Georgakakos also commented on the use of water by the Tech community. "I don't think we are over-using water, but I think it's a good overall principle to live by. Water is a very precious resource...we, especially in this region, never thought of it as scarce, because we have a lot of it. But the truth of the matter is that in many, many parts of the world, people have that thought in their minds, and [are conscious] about how much water is used."

After all, in the end a short, cold shower beats having no shower at all.

HOW TO SAVE WATER

1. Wait until you have a full load of laundry before washing. Avoid separating if you can.

2. Flush the toilet once. No courtesy flushes.

3. Only run the dishwasher if it is full. Minimize rinsing before the dishwasher if possible.

4. Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth, wash your face, shave, etc.