It doesn’t look like either Atlanta or DeKalb can say they cut water consumption by 10% vs. last year, as randomly mandated by the governor during the height of drought coverage.

Meanwhile, it seems that both Cobb and Gwinnett can claim success. Cobb just had to publicly embarrass Chris George Carlos into not flooding his lawns, while Gwinnett cut back using fuzzy math that excludes water sold to cities.

Can you take a shower in math?  Only in MathMagic Land.

It seems like “working on a plan” and “signed, sealed, delivered” are two completely different things.

After hearing from the fishing industry, Panhandle leaders and environmental groups back in his home state of Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist,  abruptly pulled out of a tentative deal to reduce water released from Lake Lanier.

Georgians will call this “reneging” while Florida will assert that no deal was ever written in stone.  This quote from the Orlando Sentential seems to be the sticking point,

“Although discussed during the governors’ meeting, the reduction level wasn’t formally proposed by the corps until later that night.”

An article in the AJC earlier this week, reported on the doubt most water experts had on the much-celebrated (at least in Georgia) deal.

“But people like Jerry Sherk who have witnessed the dispute for years have their doubts. Sherk, who specializes in water law and who over the years has advised both Georgia and the city of LaGrange in the dispute, is blunt about the likelihood of a deal in 3½ months.

“Not a chance,” he said. “If there’s political goodwill, we will reach a nice, superficial, unenforceable gentleman’s agreement that will be window dressing at best.”

Too many parties — from various federal agencies to hydropower customers — would need to be at the table in too short a time, Sherk warned. What’s more, he said, “The absence of trust here is more all-pervasive than I’ve ever seen it in a water conflict, and I’ve seen a lot of water conflicts.”

We should have known better that the White House deal was too vague and too rushed to mark the end of this dispute.

Keep Conserving!

Mud Pit Photo Courtesy of the New York Times

What happens when people begin to fear the imminent depletion of a natural resource? Fisticuffs! (of sorts)

While the Governor Sonny Perdue has framed his fight for water against endangered mussels and the Army Corps of Engineers, actual human beings that live downstream are starting to pointing out to Atlanta politicians that there are more than just clams that depend on the water that is released from Lake Lanier.

Alabama’s governor has written a letter in opposition to Perdue’s request to the President that would force the Army Corps of Engineers to stop releasing water from the lake. In it, Gov. Bob Riley points out that the water released from Lanier isn’t just used to cool off the endangered mussels downstream, but also more vital human creations, like nuclear power plants.

Valdosta is also enraged by Perdue’s Atlanta-centric request. A scathing editorial in the Sunday Valdosta Times blames poorly planned Atlanta development for the impending water crisis…

“Gov. Sonny Perdue’s temper tantrums against the Army Corps of Engineers, the state of Florida and anyone else associated with not giving into his demands continued through the weekend, with meetings at Lake Lanier and declaring northern Georgia a disaster area Saturday to further enforce what everyone else has long known — Atlanta is a greedy, poorly designed behomoth of a city incapable of hearing the word “no” and dealing with it. ”

Read the full editorial here.

Hat Tip: Fresh Loaf