on Nov. 15 Atlanta to reduce water by 16% to other states

[donsu]

http://www.atlantawatershortage.com/


A deal reached today by the governors of Georgia, Alabama and Florida will reduce the water flowing out of Lake Lanier by 16% starting as soon as November 15.

Officials say that this will certainly improve the length of remaining water supply, but they couldn’t say how much longer it would make it last. Let’s try to figure it out. Please realize that these are very rough numbers and they’re intended to just give us a crude estimate.

-snip-

If they reduce the outflow by 16%, that means it will only have a daily outflow of around 800 million gallons (instead of 950 million). Combined with the inflow of 150 million gallons, the total daily loss will only be 650 million gallons — a reduction of 19% in the total loss. If we then reduce the 0.12 feet by 19%, it become a daily loss of only 0.10 feet.

We’ve got about 20.5 feet to go until we hit the “dead pool”. Losing 0.10 feet per day gives us 205 days worth of water left, not counting whatever they can pump out of the dead pool. Not bad!
-snip-
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[onehandle]

1. The lawns in the suburbs are looking pretty green still.

Time to start fining our ring of Republicans thousands of dollars.

[Ilsa]

2. I've heard that the golf courses are still classified as "agricultural"

and therefore still elegible for watering.

[Glorfindel]

3. This situation tears me in several directions at once...

as a native of the north Georgia mountains, I'm sorry to know my friends and family back home are facing a severe shortage and being forced to share THEIR water with Alabama and Florida, which, after all, have plenty of their own. On the other hand, I think the state of Georgia in general deserves the punishment because they elected Sonny Perdue (Elmer Fudd to the life!), Johnny Isaakson, and Saxby Chambliss, among other foul Repuke cretins.

[emilyg]

4. Agree.