WATER HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS

There have been a lot of topics in the news lately, including an active tropical cyclone season, gas prices and shortages, political campaigns, and economic problems. At this time last year, however, in Atlanta and across the Southeast, one of the hottest topics was the drought. Unfortunately, the drought is far from over in parts of the Southeast, and the water shortages could become even worse than in 2007!

Haves and Have-Nots. As September comes to an end, I thought it might be of interest to point out how dramatic the difference has been in rainfall across the country. It has been extremely wet in Missouri, east Kansas, Illinois, and Iowa, with many bouts of flooding. Many places have had more than a foot more rain than average. Here is a sampling, listing how much more rain several locations have received than during an average period from January 1 to September 29.

Location	Excess Rain	% above average
Wichita, KS	22.40 inches	90%
St. Louis, MO	20.90 inches	71%
Chicago, IL	13.09 inches	47%
Des Moines, IA	12.69 inches	44%

By contrast, northern Georgia and Alabama, northwest South Carolina, western North Carolina, and southeast Tennessee have continued to be in drought, with adverse effects on lawns, crops, water sports, and water supplies. Here is a sampling of the rainfall deficits, the amount that the rain thus far is below the average for the January 1 -- September 29 period.

Location	Rain Deficit	% below average
Huntsville, AL	13.51 inches	31%
Athens, GA	11.97 inches	32%
Greenville, SC	9.68 inches	25%
Chattanooga, TN	9.33 inches	22%
Asheville, NC	9.23 inches	25%
Atlanta, GA	8.25 inches	21%

Low Streams and Lakes. As a consequence, many of the streams and rivers in these areas are very low, among their 10% lowest flows on record. Several lakes used for recreation and water supply are at or near record lows. Each of these lakes is currently lower than on September 30, 2007! Lake Lanier is the main water supply for the city of Atlanta, while the other two are near the GA/SC border.

Lake          Down from full pool           Perspective

Lake Lanier, GA  16.86 feet lowest on record for September;

             third lowest on record, any month

Lake Hartwell, GA  15.55 feet lowest on record for September;

             third lowest on record, any month

Thurmond Lake, GA  15.22 feet record low for any month

Unfortunately, this area is headed into what is normally one of the driest periods of the year. In 2007, Lake Lanier continued to drop another 8 feet after September 30th and reached a record low on December 28. Lake Lanier in 2008 is 4.7 feet lower than it was on September 30, 2007! Unless this area gets significant rain soon, the water supply in the Atlanta metro area could get even tighter.