Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
should be. Until now water shortage was little more than a tug at
the edge of our collective consciousness—certainly not a real prob-
lem. Slowly, however, the reality that something is happening has
begun to creep in. Nearly every day we read about another water
main break or sinkhole somewhere. In many places temperatures
may seem a little warmer or colder, precipitation a little more or
a little less, or the weather may just feel “different” from that of
years past. Chances are we've all heard people talk about “the huge
snows we used to have” or complain that “the ground is so dry, or
“this is the worst storm I can remember.”
Drought has affected vast areas of the country at the same time
that development has exploded. Crisis water shortages in cities like
Atlanta, Georgia; Tampa, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; Denver,
Colorado; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have fi lled the headlines.
Suddenly, the crisis hits home—
it
can and is
happening here!
Today water is an issue for everyone. It's no longer the sole con-
cern of the poor in Central and South America, Asia, or Africa, and
it's not just lapping at the back door of the United States. It's bang-
ing on our front door—and, in some places, barging into the living
room, kitchen, and bathroom. It dries up farm fi elds and cities, and
the lack of water or attention to it often results in pollution of lakes
and streams. It drains our pocketbooks and threatens to reach the
point of no return.
Plentiful rains no longer are enough to stem the tide of our
water problems either. In early 2009, for example, it seemed that
heavy rain ended Atlanta's years-long physical drought. But not so
fast. “The one thing I can defi nitely forecast is drought will return—
whether it's in one year, two years or more,” David Stooksbury,
Georgia state climatologist and professor of engineering and atmo-
spheric sciences at the University of Georgia in Athens, said at the
time. “It's imperative for people to know drought is a normal part
of the climate system.”
Stooksbury's words proved all too true when in mid-August
2010, he announced a return to drought conditions in the north-
central, west-central, and southwest parts of Georgia. In November,
Stooksbury followed up with more dismal news: Drought now cov-
ered most of Georgia, with little relief expected in the near future.
“The fall and spring climate outlooks do not hold much promise
