Athens (GA) Water Crisis Requires Education, Communication

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Athens (GA) Water Crisis Requires Education, Communication

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  Created by Christopher Byrne | add comment

Athens, GA (Oct 9, 2007) - As the countdown ticks to November 21, 2007 and the possibility of forced water rationing in Athens, Georgia (USA), people continue to violate the outdoor watering ban. Rather than conserver water for the greater good, they seemed to be more concerned with protecting their US$20,000 landscaping, according to Stephen Dorsch, the Water Conservation Coordinator for the Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Consolidated Government.

In an interview, Dorsch says that the biggest challenge he is facing is educating the public. "Unlike people who live out in the Western United States who grow up living water conservation every day of their lives, people in the east and south have never had to do that," says Dorsch. "Most people in Georgia have no idea that there are no natural lakes in this state. All their lives, all they have seen is water everywhere, and that is why they do not understand why we are facing a serious crisis here. They do not understand why their water use behavior needs to change."

As Dorsch works with the Water Conservation Committee, a group of made up of ACC staff, citizens, and area professionals to draft an unprecedented Level 5 Drought plan, he recognizes the challenges in getting the word out to the community. "There is no foolproof 100% way to communicate the necessary information to all residents of the community." Part of the challenge he faces is that not everybody reads the local newspaper. The local government cable television channel is only available to subscribers of Charter Cable, and even if people in some parts of the county wanted to subscribe, they are unable to because of the way cable franchises were granted prior to the consolidation of the government in the 1990's. The extremely high poverty rate in the county of 28.3 percent means that many households do not have access to the Internet. "We do not have a local television station, so unless the Atlanta stations pick up on the news, people will not see it on those stations." says Dorsch.

One option the consolidated government could use is the reverse 911 system recently put in place for the ACC police. "We have talked about that as an option [to communicate information], but no decision has been made in that area," says Dorsch. "We are working to find different ways to get the word out, including putting information fliers on Papa John's Pizza boxes. But you have to understand that we are trying to change the behavior of people in a stage of their lives where they are very set in their ways and their habits. Think about recycling. Look how many years and decades it took to get people to accept recycling as part of a daily routine."

For Dorsch, to make  societal changes needed to truly conserver water, the effort has to take place in the schools/ He feels that this is the only way to really teach new behaviors stick in the community. "This is important," Dorsch says, "because the next time we have substantial rains and we replenish the reservoirs, people will forget all about the problems and go back to their old ways". This illustration, from the ACC web site, shows how this cycle usually plays out:

According to Dorsch, the current water restrictions do not apply to people using well water. However, he says that they need to understand that if their wells run dry because they continue to water their lawns, "there is not a whole lot that can be done for them." Ironically, the ACC is putting water lines in subdivisions currently using well water. Because the funds for these water lines were included in a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) approved by voters, the project must be completed.

Water Pipes being delivered to an Athens, GA (USA) neighborhood. 

The burden of working through the politics of the issues falls on the ACC Mayor and County Commission. Unfortunately, these are only part-time positions. "With the water crisis in full gear, I am absolutely overwhelmed," says Commission Member Kathy Hoard. "The role of Commissioner in Athens-Clarke County is a part-time post and only one of the many assignments I have in this role is serving as Water Conservation Chairman. I am also employed full-time in another capacity. At the moment I am fielding dozens of inquiries daily on water alone while trying to work on a number of other major projects for our  community."

The water challenges facing the people and government of Athens, Georgia are growing stronger every day. How successful the ACC government will be in navigating the crisis remains to be seen. Like it or not, they will have to be a model for the rest of Georgia, as just last night it was reported on ABC's World News Tonight that Atlanta will run out of drinking water in a year.