Georgia’s Water Supply Essay

Over the years, Georgia’s water resources have been abundant. Without appropriate foresight, there is now a serious water crisis that Georgians are facing. Coming up with solid solutions is urgently needed and are being discussed. One of these is desalination — process of taking salt water and converting it to fresh water. There are several problems with this. One is that since the ocean’s supply is tremendous, it could discourage water conservation. Also, this could tremendously hurt coastal habitats. Another dilemma is that it is expensive. It costs $3 to produce 1,000 gallons of desalinated water, compared to $1. 25 for surface water and $. 50 for groundwater. A big budget would be needed and where it will come from is also a determining factor. Another solution currently in use on a much smaller scale during drought seasons, is interbasin water transfers — removal of water from a plentiful river basin and releasing it into a basin in need. A highly emotional solution since every city/county wants to maintain control over its own natural water supply. For example: when Augusta was asked about sharing its water with Atlanta, the answer was â€Å"no way. † If Augusta is unwilling to help Atlanta, then it will be a challenge to work out a solution with Tennessee, Alabama or Florida. Without the cooperation of needed parties, this would not be feasible and would not serve its main goal in the long run. A third solution is conservation. Its implementation is the main problem of not being embraced by many local jurisdictions, like in North Georgia’s water planning district. Also, Atlanta has relied on interbasin transfers. Not only is the survival during Georgia’s water crisis dependent on solutions, but implementation of them and adherence with complete participation by every community member is badly required.