In a lengthy, well-written article about Georgia’s ongoing water woes, writer Rick Perlstein, via Alternet.org, excoriates the state’s legislators and decision makers (oops, we mean deciders). The subtitle sums it up nicely:

The colossal mismanagement of water in Georgia has produced an urban crisis with no clear solution other than a return to smart government.

The editorial team of Waterblogged.info are as one in our agreement with Perlstein. In fact, our earlier collective outrage concerning the lack of real leadership in Georgia led to the four-part It’s a drought, stupid series. In part three, we discussed Georgia’s dependence on and overuse of one little ‘ol river, the Chattahoochee, which Georgians call the Hooch:

In 1991, Atlanta pumped 3.8 billion gallons of water from the Hooch; in 2001 the figure jumped to 20 billion gallons. Rationality would dictate that the powers-that-be advocate conserving water and limiting growth. But until very recently rationality has been off the table in greed-driven Atlanta, and the city’s “leaders” have chosen instead to grab more of the beleaguered Hooch’s water with new dams and reservoirs and to merrily continue building out every square foot of the region. All of this of course is enraging municipalities, regions, and states to the south.

In part four, we discussed the merits of the state’s governor, Sonny Perdue:

Whenever we’ve written It’s a drought, stupid!, we’ve thought of Governor Sonny Perdue.

We’re not, we hasten to add, saying that Perdue is stupid. We don’t know for sure. It’s just that he instantly comes to mind when we write It’s a drought, stupid!. Maybe it’s because of his Take a Shorter Shower month (shorter shower instructions here); maybe it’s because he recently convened a prayer group to pray for rain (and here; video here).

in the quote above, Perlstein mentions the need for a return to smart government. We don’t really know if there was ever any smart government in Georgia, but they certainly have to do better than Perdue.

Environmentalist, writer, and long-time blogger Fred First kindly pointed us toward this recent article from the Guardian that demonstrates clearly that denial isn’t just a river in Georgia. From the article:

The city of Phoenix in Arizona sits in the middle of a desert that for the past 11 years has been suffering a punishing drought. Temperatures in the city rose above 43C (110F) for a record 30 days this year and water levels in the rivers that supply its 1.5 million people with drinking water are at near-record lows.

A perfect spot then to build what is described as a “year-round watersports paradise”, in which visitors will be able to revel in whatever watery pastime takes their fancy. (12-foot waves to surf, white water to canoe…)

…Residents in the nearest town of Mesa voted earlier this month by two to one to support the project, won over by promises of 7,500 new jobs. Opposition to the proposals in the area has been muted.

But the long-term wisdom of creating a massive waterpark in the middle of a desert may yet be doubted. Last year Arizona had a record dry winter. Snowpacks on its mountain ranges – essential once they melt for replenishing the state’s sophisticated system of underground reservoirs – were unusually thin.

The current report for Arizona shows more than half the state, including the Phoenix area, in the moderate to extreme drought zone. (See also here.)

The Waterblogged.info team are as one in our open-mouthed astonishment at not just the massive stupidity of the planned aquatic paradise, but also at the Guardian writer’s masterful use of irony disguised as impartiality: But the long-term wisdom of creating a massive waterpark in the middle of a desert may yet be doubted.

Who could doubt that this is a reckless plan? The people of Arizona—and Georgia—are not, for the most part stupid, maybe. Then why are they allowing greed-crazed developers and their greed-crazed lackeys, i.e., elected officials, to get away with naked acts of self-serving irresponsibility that endanger their lives and the future of their children?

As we glumly consider our half-empty glass of tap water, which may or may not be contaminated, we decide that we have all been beaten down into numb submission by a domineering corporate culture that values nothing but profit and leaves us in constant terror of being unemployed and poor. (Note that the folks in Mesa voted in favor of this insanity because of the prospect of 7,500 new jobs.) All of this leaves most of us feeling powerless, disconnected from one another, and unable to envision, as Fred First does, a better, saner, and safer way to live.

(Update: The blog Atlanta Water Shortage seems to have closed its doors. The url is now occupied by the web host and domain name sleazebags at Godaddy.com)

In a recent post we poked a bit of fun at Atlanta, Georgia, and ended up feeling a tad guilty. Instead of showing compassion for fellow citizens who appear to be about 3 months from having to evacuate because they won’t have any water, we portrayed them as a bunch of idiots who are in complete denial about their dire situation. The up-to-the-minute Atlanta Water Shortage (AWS) summarizes the findings of a coalition of conservation groups that shows we were possibly too kind. AWS states that:

The report cites a legacy of waste, namely 18 percent of water treated and cleaned (emphasis Waterblogged.info’s) is lost due to leaky pipes while millions of homes still using wasteful plumbing.

Cynthia Barnett’s devastating and well-documented book, Mirage:Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. states that the national average for treated water lost from leaky pipes is 14 percent! That’s appalling of course, but Atlanta is raising the bar. Atlanta is leading the nation. And, even though it’s illegal, they apparently continue to water their lawns with encouragement from some of the local media. The linked article from a local newspaper, while supposedly advocating minimum water usage, makes it seem like it’s a heroic undertaking to save your lawn. It’s titled Drought? Don’t Panic and Don’t Quit.

This ABC News page is a great resource for a lot of bad news. The main story tells us that 36 states face dwindling water supplies (see U.S. Drought Monitor linked from our right-hand column), and that a small Tennessee town has already run out of water. The article has a lot of related links, and you can also check out the four video news reports about the worsening drought conditions in Atlanta, Florida, and the Southwest.