burning

Though everyone down south is thrilled that the fall is finally here, there is a major ecological crisis taking place. The Southeast is facing the worst drought in over 100 years. We had hoped that the hurricane season would bring rains that would refill reservoirs, but we only have had maybe 2 or 3 significant coating rains. And now, we are in the dry season. Today, a news release from the Governor said that we are as little as 90 days from Lake Lanier drying out (i.e. major cities actually running out of water).

Obviously this is terrifying and stunning. Especially how it has come on so quickly. Of course, one of the major problems is that we (most Americans) don’t think about water as a commodity. We don’t have to think about the cost of water, especially of drinkable water compared to many developing countries, for example, where people spend up to 40% of their income just to buy clean water.

But now, in the Southeast, we are moving into a crisis where if we don’t get rain sometime soon there will be something similar to rolling blackouts—rolling water outs, in addition to a state of emergency being declared if the “voluntary” efforts to reduce water usage don’t work. And even still, I’ve seen sprinklers going, people watering flowers. It is illegal now, and if you’re caught you get a fine. Wow, big deal. Not that a fine will put out a fire in a local hatchery. Something is tragically wrong with people in this country, and I fear we’re moving into a time when what people have believed to be true, especially their sense of entitlement of natural resources, will be the worst hard lesson learned.

Anyway, all of this makes me really long for the cloudy, rainy rust belt. But being that I am here and I am part of this place right now, I felt like I should write about it.