Atlanta may go dry in 90 days

ATLANTA — With the South in the grip of an epic drought and its largest city holding less than a 90-day supply of water, officials are scrambling to deal with the worst-case scenario: What if Atlanta's faucets go dry?

So far, no backup plan exists. And there are no quick fixes among suggested solutions, which include piping water in from rivers in neighboring states, building more regional reservoirs, setting up a statewide recycling system or desalinating water from the Atlantic Ocean.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue seems to be pinning his hopes on a two-prong approach: urging water conservation and reducing water flowing out of federally controlled lakes.

Perdue's office on Friday asked a Florida federal judge to force the Army Corps of Engineers to curb the amount of water draining from Georgia reservoirs into Alabama and Florida. Georgia's environmental-protection director also is drafting proposals for more water restrictions.

But that may not be enough to stave off the water crisis. More than a quarter of the Southeast is covered by an "exceptional" drought, the National Weather Service's worst drought category. The Atlanta area, with a population of 5 million, is in the middle of the affected region, which extends over most of Tennessee, Alabama and the northern half of Georgia, and parts of North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.

State officials warn that Lake Lanier, a 38,000-acre north Georgia reservoir that supplies more than 3 million residents with water, is fewer than three months from depletion. Smaller reservoirs are dropping lower, forcing local governments to consider rationing.

State water managers say there is more water available in the lake's reserves. But tapping into it would require the use of barges, emergency pumps and longer water lines. Some lawmakers fear that if the lake is drained that low, it may be impossible to refill.

The corps, which manages water in the region, stresses there's no reason to think Atlanta will soon run out.

"We're so far away from that, nobody's doing a contingency plan," said Maj. Daren Payne, deputy commander of the corps' Mobile office. "Quite frankly, there's enough water left to last for months."

Still, some academics and politicians are proposing contingency plans.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said the region should explore piping in more water, possibly from the Tennessee or Savannah rivers. She even suggested desalinating seawater from Georgia's Atlantic coast.

Some academics say Georgia should start using more "purple water": wastewater that is partially treated and can be used for irrigation, firefighting and uses other than drinking.

Such measures could make Georgia "drought-proof," said Todd Rasmussen, a professor of hydrology and water resources at the University of Georgia.

The drought has led to conservation measures.

Virtually all outdoor watering was banned across the northern half of the state, restaurants were asked to serve water only at a customer's request and the governor called on Georgians to take shorter showers.

Carol Couch, the state's environmental director, said it's "very likely" new limits on water usage are needed.