So we're here
Well, we can all blame Sonny Perdue.
Pat yourself on the back Athens-Clarke County because you have done the right thing. You've conserved water unlike any other community in this state, cutting back on your usage by an astonishing 28 percent. Your leaders - elected and staff - have had a drought management plan in place long before anyone else did.
And you know what ... the governor doesn't care. He looks at your reduction in usage and says 'so what ... cut back even more.' Rather than appreciate the proactive work you've done in conserving this common resource, he lumps us in with other communities - like, say, Dekalb County which has cut back only 10 percent - and mandates that we restrict our usage by a disproportionate share.
Blake has a good story in today's paper, and the folks at the Athens Banner-Herald were kind enough to post the drought management plan so you could look at it.
It calls for some tough choices, but it also leaves open the distinct possibility that, as Alan Reddish noted last night, that we can reach this new 35 percent level of reduction that Perdue has required without implementing Step F. It just means being even more proactive in our conservation efforts.
So cut back your showers by two-minutes and check into how much a low-flow shower head costs. Wash your dishes and clothes only when each unit is full. Turn off that water when you brush your teeth.
This is serious people. Anytime the local government tells you that we're two steps away from the importation of bottled water means we're facing a crisis that, quite frankly, we've never faced before.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist ... far from it actually. But we have to be diligent in our efforts to save water, and that starts at home. So, even without Step F being put into effect yet, let's make sure that doesn't happen by working to reduce our residential consumption by 15 gallons a day each.
We can do it.
Pat yourself on the back Athens-Clarke County because you have done the right thing. You've conserved water unlike any other community in this state, cutting back on your usage by an astonishing 28 percent. Your leaders - elected and staff - have had a drought management plan in place long before anyone else did.
And you know what ... the governor doesn't care. He looks at your reduction in usage and says 'so what ... cut back even more.' Rather than appreciate the proactive work you've done in conserving this common resource, he lumps us in with other communities - like, say, Dekalb County which has cut back only 10 percent - and mandates that we restrict our usage by a disproportionate share.
Blake has a good story in today's paper, and the folks at the Athens Banner-Herald were kind enough to post the drought management plan so you could look at it.
It calls for some tough choices, but it also leaves open the distinct possibility that, as Alan Reddish noted last night, that we can reach this new 35 percent level of reduction that Perdue has required without implementing Step F. It just means being even more proactive in our conservation efforts.
So cut back your showers by two-minutes and check into how much a low-flow shower head costs. Wash your dishes and clothes only when each unit is full. Turn off that water when you brush your teeth.
This is serious people. Anytime the local government tells you that we're two steps away from the importation of bottled water means we're facing a crisis that, quite frankly, we've never faced before.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist ... far from it actually. But we have to be diligent in our efforts to save water, and that starts at home. So, even without Step F being put into effect yet, let's make sure that doesn't happen by working to reduce our residential consumption by 15 gallons a day each.
We can do it.
posted by Jmac at 7:27 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home