Step F Meeting
5:40 p.m. - No Carl Jordan at the work session. Don't see David Lynn either.
5:42 p.m. - Wow. The Bear Creek Reservoir is incredibly low. It hits home when you see it.
5:54 p.m. - It's interesting to note that the existing drought management plan included a disaster response scenario, which included things such as bottled water distribution and possible importation of bulk water.
5:55 p.m. - Good to see that conservation is paying off. We've cut back on usage by 28 percent. Way to go Athens-Clarke County! Take that Atlanta ... you water-consuming fools.
5:57 p.m. - New target date of Step F implementation, minus any precipitation, is Dec. 14, 2007.
6 p.m. - Job TV?
6:02 p.m. - You ever think how difficult it is to prioritize water usage? While no one would argue that medical and emergency uses are imperative, you have to also think of economic consequences. Not saying they outweigh another usage, but it's important to consider.
6:08 p.m. - Working toward a goal of reducing usage by 1 million gallons per day, industrial usage needs would be cut by 16 percent 430,000 gallons per day.
6:14 p.m. - Health and safety usage has the smallest required reduction - 2.5 percent or 10,000 gallons - and the top preference ... but the strictest monitoring with bi-weekly inspections?
6:18 p.m. - I like the 'Pray For Rain!'
6:22 p.m. - Thanks Sonny. We have a plan and we get punished.
6:23 p.m. - Alan Reddish: "It's frustrating because we have been implementing our changes since April and our citizens have responded in a proactive way ... but we're caught in the same net that's been thrown over 14 other counties so we have to find a way to get an additional 10 percent reduction."
6:25 p.m. - Industrial will be first focused on in Step F, which will go into effect sooner because of governor's blanket declaration.
6:26 p.m. - Correction ... may not have to implement if reductions continue through citizen conservation.
6:27 p.m. - Alan Reddish: "It's disappointing to me that even though our citizens have been doing what they've been doing, our efforts have been ignored."
6:36 p.m. - I'm not necessarily following Elton Dodson's line of questioning.
6:39 p.m. - Amen Alan. Amen.
6:41 p.m. - George Maxwell: "Because of the people who have decided to sacrifice we enjoy the 28 percent reduction we have now."
6:48 p.m. - Kathy Hoard is asking good questions regarding being fair to companies who have already cut usage, but if we use an annual average many folks might have already cut. Hoard asks about using a multi-year average, but Reddish counters that it could affect other numbers.
6:53 p.m. - Kelly Girtz: "If we want to consider the long-term benefit of our community, we could use more level distribution."
6:54 p.m. - Heidi Davison: "This is not a conservation plan, but a drought management plan designed for an immediate impact."
7:03 p.m. - Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it seemed to me that this proposal took into account the fact that some would have already cut back since we're using yearly water use averages. Some folks might have already cut back their appropriate percentage, right?
7:05 p.m. - Ah! I am not mistaken.
7:20 p.m. - Elton Dodson: The loss of a job has more impact than a reduction in 20 gallons per day of residential usage.
7:40 p.m. - Good points from Davison. How do we know if we're hitting our goals? Can we track our usage in some capacity?
7:41 p.m. - Reddish responds that we'll provide information on how to read the meter.
5:42 p.m. - Wow. The Bear Creek Reservoir is incredibly low. It hits home when you see it.
5:54 p.m. - It's interesting to note that the existing drought management plan included a disaster response scenario, which included things such as bottled water distribution and possible importation of bulk water.
5:55 p.m. - Good to see that conservation is paying off. We've cut back on usage by 28 percent. Way to go Athens-Clarke County! Take that Atlanta ... you water-consuming fools.
5:57 p.m. - New target date of Step F implementation, minus any precipitation, is Dec. 14, 2007.
6 p.m. - Job TV?
6:02 p.m. - You ever think how difficult it is to prioritize water usage? While no one would argue that medical and emergency uses are imperative, you have to also think of economic consequences. Not saying they outweigh another usage, but it's important to consider.
6:08 p.m. - Working toward a goal of reducing usage by 1 million gallons per day, industrial usage needs would be cut by 16 percent 430,000 gallons per day.
6:14 p.m. - Health and safety usage has the smallest required reduction - 2.5 percent or 10,000 gallons - and the top preference ... but the strictest monitoring with bi-weekly inspections?
6:18 p.m. - I like the 'Pray For Rain!'
6:22 p.m. - Thanks Sonny. We have a plan and we get punished.
6:23 p.m. - Alan Reddish: "It's frustrating because we have been implementing our changes since April and our citizens have responded in a proactive way ... but we're caught in the same net that's been thrown over 14 other counties so we have to find a way to get an additional 10 percent reduction."
6:25 p.m. - Industrial will be first focused on in Step F, which will go into effect sooner because of governor's blanket declaration.
6:26 p.m. - Correction ... may not have to implement if reductions continue through citizen conservation.
6:27 p.m. - Alan Reddish: "It's disappointing to me that even though our citizens have been doing what they've been doing, our efforts have been ignored."
6:36 p.m. - I'm not necessarily following Elton Dodson's line of questioning.
6:39 p.m. - Amen Alan. Amen.
6:41 p.m. - George Maxwell: "Because of the people who have decided to sacrifice we enjoy the 28 percent reduction we have now."
6:48 p.m. - Kathy Hoard is asking good questions regarding being fair to companies who have already cut usage, but if we use an annual average many folks might have already cut. Hoard asks about using a multi-year average, but Reddish counters that it could affect other numbers.
6:53 p.m. - Kelly Girtz: "If we want to consider the long-term benefit of our community, we could use more level distribution."
6:54 p.m. - Heidi Davison: "This is not a conservation plan, but a drought management plan designed for an immediate impact."
7:03 p.m. - Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it seemed to me that this proposal took into account the fact that some would have already cut back since we're using yearly water use averages. Some folks might have already cut back their appropriate percentage, right?
7:05 p.m. - Ah! I am not mistaken.
7:20 p.m. - Elton Dodson: The loss of a job has more impact than a reduction in 20 gallons per day of residential usage.
7:40 p.m. - Good points from Davison. How do we know if we're hitting our goals? Can we track our usage in some capacity?
7:41 p.m. - Reddish responds that we'll provide information on how to read the meter.
posted by Jmac at 5:38 PM
19 Comments:
Carl's in Idaho, taking a long bath and chuckling to himself.
I didn't know about Lake Chapman or the Loop 10 reservoir. I feel just a little better now.
28% reduction! ACC rules! Still dry though.
Wonder if there are going to be public service announcements involved? Wonder if Snowden is trying to get the account?
Cut to the chase, guys. How long before we see aerial footage of hipsters huddled on the roof of Flicker, holding up a hand-painted sign that says "Send PBR!"
Really sticking it to commercial and industrial. I'm presuming institutional applies to UGA and Athens Tech, as well as the ACC Govt? Can't they cut back some more? Also, a higher reduction for residential could be possible.
Weekly meter readings for industrial customers and phone conservation plans for residential users?
Step F is a jobs program too!!!
10x excess volume for overuse! Reddish is taking a cue from the cell phone companies here.
"6:02 p.m. - You ever think how difficult it is to prioritize water usage?"
Um, yes!!!
"While no one would argue that medical and emergency uses are imperative, you have to also think of economic consequences. Not saying they outweigh another usage, but it's important to consider."
So, since it's so hard to figure out exactly what the 'right' priority plan is for water (perhaps there is no 'right' plan that can be determined by having a discussion at city hall?), we're going to go ahead and make a plan anyway.
"6:14 p.m. - Health and safety usage has the smallest required reduction - 2.5 percent or 10,000 gallons - and the top preference ... but the strictest monitoring with bi-weekly inspections?"
Actually industrial is a weekly inspection, if I read the tiny PowerPoint correctly,
"pray for rain"?
Really?
Hey, since Lynn isn't there, does that mean D5 is exempt from compliance with Step F?
I'm guessing that Reddish will be taking the Governor off his Christmas card list. He's really pissed about the 48-hour notice.
Seriously, I think he's mad because he had to stay up late and miss American Idol.
Herod: Can you ask the Governor to go easy on us because we're Athens? Also because we saw this shit coming, unlike the rest of North Georgia?
Duck: We're going to get some help when the students leave town for Christmas.
Reddish to Dodson: If you don't like our numbers, you can figure it out your damn self. Geez!
6:54 why do I find kelli girtz so annoying?
I think they did a pretty amazing job. I do think institutions, like UGA are getting some serious slack here, though, they've already announced a 10 percent reduction goal, after the rest of us have cut our use by a third?
They should have to cut by 20 or 25%, they are our largest user, and are getting all this slack, while we are about to get hit by these really horrible penalties.
I did NOT get the idea that residential users are going to get "credit" for our huge reductions this year over last, they're using winter usage, as a benchmark, and nobody I know was out watering or doing any gardening last winter, so that is our lowest usage time of year, and that's what we're going to have to cut another 10% off of?
This is confusing, and the paper didn't really break anything down this morning. Is it an annual usage cutback, which we've each probably already accomplished by not watering at all? or a winter time use cutback, which is pretty durn near punitive, imho.
I liked Doug asking what the consequences are if we don't comply w/the Governor's ten percent, and Reddish saying they'd asked the EPD that, and hadn't gotten any clear answer on the consequences.
I also thought it was wonderful that Heidi brought up EADC and HCDC as folks who can distribute the kits to their low income constituencies, and that Alice and others suggested that on that first offense, we deliver the water reduction use kits (you've seen them, a shower head, a plastic bag for the tank of your toilet, and an instruction book, basically) to low income households who don't have the 30 bucks to spend on one. I hope the AHA has already installed them in all their apartments, and like Heidi, I think it's high time EADC and HCDC did something besides "counsel" people for housing, too, that was GREAT!
While we could all argue about the percentages until the cows come home, I don't think anyone can complain that staff hasn't lept in and tried to do their best for us w/this.
I too was tickled to see Alan so upset at the Governor, that was just plain good news. Alan is always so durn right (you should have seen him try to run the splost panel into the jail debacle a few years ago!) he appeared very human and very tired last night. I even felt for him.
aquariusrizing
Thanks for the commentary - I missed the meeting (actually I was in downtown your home town - taking a nice break from Athens with my wife).
So, did Commissioner Jordan or Lynn ever show up? I couldn't tell in you summary or in the paper this morning.
Thinking up ideas for PSA. Coming up dry.
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