This garden is one of many university projects that resulted from the drought in an effort to lessen its dependence on the municipal water supply.
Photo by Hal Tift
By Hal Tift
The northeast Georgia community can breathe a little easier now that rainfall is approaching normal levels for the first time in several years.
Most government water restrictions have been lifted or eased in the area.
As of early March only the Lanier and Hartwell basins are still classified as being in a drought, said David Stooksbury, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of Georgia.
But those two basins have recently been upgraded from “drought” to “mild drought” classification, and the rest of northeast Georgia is officially drought-free for the first time since March 2006, Stooksbury said.
Now that people have experienced the difficulties of an extended drought, Stooksbury is confident that they have come away with a new perspective.
“It has really made it clear to the general public that water is a valuable resource,” he said. “And it is finite.”
The Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources cleared Athens-Clarke County for more relaxed water restrictions beginning on April 8, according to the official Web site of the Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department.
Specific information about the reduced water restrictions is available at www.accpublicutilities.com.
While the restrictions have lessened significantly, Stooksbury is hopeful that people will not abandon all the day-to-day concessions that helped them survive the drought. Such concessions include turning the water off while lathering in the shower, using electric shavers to conserve water and many others.
“I think there has been some change in people’s behavior that will last,” he said.
Heather Kinsaul, a senior history major from Thomaston, Ga., said that she reacted to the drought in several ways.
“At home we never had to worry about it,” she said, “but since the drought started I stopped flushing my toilet every time.” She also said she would occasionally shower out of the sink.
While sink-showering may not be a part of her regular routine anymore, Kinsaul said that flushing the toilet only when necessary may be a permanent habit.
It isn’t just individuals who contributed to the water-conserving effort. The University of Georgia responded to the drought in many ways, some of which resulted in permanent changes that will contribute to water conservation permanently.
“The major thing that happened as part of it was about a year-long project where we upgraded all the toilets on campus to low-flow toilets,” said Ken Crowe the director of energy services. “It took about a year to do that. Buildings like the learning center were built at a time when you had to put low-flow toilets in anyway, but the vast majority of our buildings were built way before that.”
Crowe said that most old toilets used roughly 3.5 gallons per flush while new ones use only 1.6 gallons.
The northeast Georgia community can breathe a little easier now that rainfall is approaching normal levels for the first time in several years.
Most government water restrictions have been lifted or eased in the area.
As of early March only the Lanier and Hartwell basins are still classified as being in a drought, said David Stooksbury, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of Georgia.
But those two basins have recently been upgraded from “drought” to “mild drought” classification, and the rest of northeast Georgia is officially drought-free for the first time since March 2006, Stooksbury said.
Now that people have experienced the difficulties of an extended drought, Stooksbury is confident that they have come away with a new perspective.
“It has really made it clear to the general public that water is a valuable resource,” he said. “And it is finite.”
The Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources cleared Athens-Clarke County for more relaxed water restrictions beginning on April 8, according to the official Web site of the Athens-Clarke County Public Utilities Department.
Specific information about the reduced water restrictions is available at www.accpublicutilities.com.
While the restrictions have lessened significantly, Stooksbury is hopeful that people will not abandon all the day-to-day concessions that helped them survive the drought. Such concessions include turning the water off while lathering in the shower, using electric shavers to conserve water and many others.
“I think there has been some change in people’s behavior that will last,” he said.
Heather Kinsaul, a senior history major from Thomaston, Ga., said that she reacted to the drought in several ways.
“At home we never had to worry about it,” she said, “but since the drought started I stopped flushing my toilet every time.” She also said she would occasionally shower out of the sink.
While sink-showering may not be a part of her regular routine anymore, Kinsaul said that flushing the toilet only when necessary may be a permanent habit.
It isn’t just individuals who contributed to the water-conserving effort. The University of Georgia responded to the drought in many ways, some of which resulted in permanent changes that will contribute to water conservation permanently.
“The major thing that happened as part of it was about a year-long project where we upgraded all the toilets on campus to low-flow toilets,” said Ken Crowe the director of energy services. “It took about a year to do that. Buildings like the learning center were built at a time when you had to put low-flow toilets in anyway, but the vast majority of our buildings were built way before that.”
Crowe said that most old toilets used roughly 3.5 gallons per flush while new ones use only 1.6 gallons.
Edited by Suha Zakiuddin
Hal and Suha:
ReplyDeleteThis is an informative story with good sourcing. Good mix of official sources and a regular person who's speaking specifically about her experience with water conservation. I'd like to see the "toilet" photo with the green handle integrated into the post. Does the green handle signify low flow, or does it actually do something different?