MATRIX ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS PROPOSALS FOR THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO FUTURE DROUGHTS IN GEORGIA: SCIENTIFIC, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL SOLUTIONS TO DROUGHT PROOF GEORGIA

During the past decade north Georgia has had droughts in 1999-2000 and 2007-2008. Proposed long-term solutions for droughts during 2010 to 2050 include conservation/rain water harvesting, sewage to wetland to drinking water supply, well fields, local reservoirs, redefinition of Lake Lanier as a drinking water reservoir and West Point Lake as supply reservoir for the lower Chattahoochee River, and aqueducts from the Tennessee and Savannah Rivers to metro Atlanta. Each proposed solution is evaluated on a 0 to 10 scale with 0 least support and 10 maximum support. The evaluation is based on: environmental issues, effectiveness, time required for implementation, cost, and state support from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Water conservation coupled with small scale rain water harvesting is a critical part of drought proofing Georgia. However, there is some political resistance to conservation within Georgia because of its perceived ineffectiveness and the need for building more reservoirs. The least favorable solution is the aqueduct plan to purchase and transport water from the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, Tennessee to metro Atlanta and water from the Savannah River to Athens, Georgia. This plan has a high cost and large toll on the environment, would take decades to complete, and requires the cooperation of Tennessee and South Carolina. Redefinitions of Lake Lanier and West Point Lake have unfavorable evaluation because of potential Florida and Alabama opposition, the long time that would be required, and the uncertainty of the environmental effect. Well fields are dependent on geologists finding fractures and formations that will yield a sustainable water supply. Clayton County, Georgia serves as an example of a very successful (10 million gallons/day) constructed wetland system that converts treated sewage into a drinking water supply. Redefining the role of Lake Lanier so that it would be managed to yield more drinking water has likely opposition from Florida and Alabama, but could result in more consistent drinking water supply and a cleaner lake.