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It was a hot, dry summer here in Atlanta. August was the hottest month on record, breaking previous records of most 100+ degree days in a month and most consecutive 90+ degree days. With all that heat, little rain fell. If the limited rainfall lasted just one month, that would be one thing, but rainfall here in Georgia has been in short supply all year. Earlier in the summer, forest fires in south Georgia, greatly exacerbated by the drought, were large enough that smoke from them choked the metro Atlanta area, hundreds of miles away. Unfortunately, things are getting worse, not better.
The metro Atlanta area receives much of its water from two sources: Lake Lanier, an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the upper Chattahoochee river, and Lake Alatoona. Both of these lakes are well below their typical levels for this time of year, and water supplies are not predicted to last through next year unless the area sees an increase in rainfall.
Atlanta is currently in a D4 (exceptional) drought, the highest category. Outdoor watering has been banned in almost all circumstances. There is a statewide outdoor fire ban, and various municipalities are discussing water rationing. With no sign of things getting better, and NOAA predictions of 2008 being dryer than average, many are questioning how bad things will get before they get better.
Atlanta is a unique city. With no natural barriers to expansion and cheap land available on its fringes, Atlanta has undergone an unprecedented growth spurt over the last 20 years, growing by 40% in just the last decade. The city has sprawled over the southern Piedmont, leading Atlantans to experience second worst average commute n the country. And yet local zoning commissions continue to authorize low density development which increases car travel, resource usage (including water), and deforestation. Little consideration is given to the carrying capacity of the region, and now, with the drought, we're starting to see signs that maybe we have reached a bit too far. The true limitation to the eventual size of Atlanta will be the limited water resources the city has to draw upon, a limitation we Atlantans are only starting to grasp.
