It Can’t Happen To Me!Lessons Learned

from the Recent Drought in Georgia

Ed Klaas, CIC, CLIA, CGIA, EPA WaterSense Partner

It Can’t Happen To Me!Lessons Learned

from the Recent Drought in Georgia

Ed Klaas, CIC, CLIA, CGIA, EPA WaterSense PartnerOwner/Vice President – Business & Legal Affairs

Southern Sprinkler Systems, LLCChair – Irrigation Association Contractor Common Interest GroupIrrigation Association Ambassador, Region 3 Leader & Georgia State Leader

Former President – Georgia Irrigation AssociationPast President – Georgia Green Industry Association – Irrigation & Water Division

Board Member – Georgia Water Wise Council

With parts of Georgia and the southeastern U.S. just coming out of a record drought, the irrigation and green industries still face unprecedented challenges. Many other factors such as a down economy, increased unemployment, a housing slump, immigration issues and draconian water restrictions have contributed to make this a perfect storm. Learn what the irrigation industry in Georgia has done to combat the issues and how companies in Florida can benefit from the Georgia’s experiences and responses, both good and bad.

Limited Resources

Nature’s Boundaries

Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Facts About Georgia

• Largest state east of the Mississippi River• Northern quarter is southern highlands• Southern half is the coastal plain• Most of the population lives in the piedmont• The Piedmont – Coastal Plain Fall Line bisects

the state.• * The Fall Line is the boundary between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain. Its name arises from the

occurrence of waterfalls and rapids that are the inland barriers to navigation on Georgia's major rivers. Thus the cities of Columbus, Macon, Milledgeville, and Augusta developed where boats had to be unloaded on the Chattahoochee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, and Savannah Rivers, respectively. Those waterfalls and rapids occur where the rivers drop off the hard crystalline rocks of the Piedmont onto the more readily eroded sedimentary rocks of the Coastal Plain.

Georgia Water Facts

• North of the fall line - primarily surface water– Drainage basin for Lake Lanier 1,040 sq. miles.

• South of the fall line - primarily ground water

• 1.5 million acres under irrigation, primarily in southwest Georgia

Georgia’s Water

• Most of GA’s water sources originate inside the state.

• Alabama and Florida also depend on these water sources.

Georgia Water Sources

• 80% of our water comes from surface water and 20% comes from ground water withdrawals.

• In the Atlanta region, 85% comes from surface water withdrawals with more than half originating from the Chattahoochee River.

Georgia’s Water• 9.5 million people

depend on a clean water supply.

• The population is increasing by more than 2.2% a year making GA the 5th fastest growing state in the nation.

• 8th largest state in population

http://drought.unl.edu/gallery/2007/Georgia/LakeHartwell2.htm

© 2006 National Drought Mitigation Center

Water Issues Vary

• North Georgia is concerned with surface water availability for continued growth and development

• Coastal and Southeast Georgia are affected by growth and by salt water intrusion into the aquifers

• Southwest Georgia is concerned with agricultural withdrawals and ground and surface water issues

• Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa (ACT) and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river basins are the focus of the tri-state “Water Wars”

We Depend on Clean Water Daily!

• 372 billion gallons/day in the U.S.

• 5.8 billion gallons/day in Georgia–2.7 billion gallons for:

• public supply and private wells (47%)• agriculture (28%)• industrial activities (25%)

–3.1 billion gallons for: • electric power generation

Atlanta’s Water Supply Needs

• Lake Lanier provides 72% of the water supply for the metropolitan Atlanta area

Lake Lanier – Atlanta’s Main Water SupplyReservoir on the Chattahoochee River

NESPAL

GA EPD

23/77

Pumping averages 2.3 Bgals/day, and about 1.0 Bgals/day in the Flint RiverBasin.

Population Pressures

Population Growth Drives Water Demand

U.S. POPClock ProjectionAccording to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 07/17/09 at 14:30 GMT (EST+5) is 307,002,938

COMPONENT SETTINGS FOR JULY 2009One birth every.................................. 7 secondsOne death every................................ 13 secondsOne international migrant (net) every 35 secondsNet gain of one person every…......... 11 seconds

Societal Changes in Georgia

• Rapid population growth starting after World War II– Accelerated growth since 1980

• 1960 – Metro Atlanta about 1 million• 1960 – State of Georgia about 4.3 million

• 2008 – Metro Atlanta over 4.5 million• 2008 – State of Georgia over 9.5 million

"Yankees in Georgia! How did they ever get in”Miss Pittypat to Dr. Meade

Societal Changes in Georgia

• Rapid population growth starting after World War II– Accelerated growth since 1980– Growth has be unevenly distributed

• Along the coast • Northern Piedmont – top of the water shed

Societal Changes in Georgia

• Rapid population growth starting after World War II

• Landscape changes – Urban sprawl – changes in the watershed flow

patterns– Conversion of row crop fields to forest (started in

1920s)

Societal Changes in Georgia

• Rapid population growth starting after World War II

• Landscape changes

• Agricultural Changes– Shift in amount of land in row crops and trees– Increase in irrigation– Increase in urban agriculture – the “green” industry

• Continuing growth, development and population increases in many areas are straining existing water supplies

• Local governments and adjacent states are competing for available water sources

• Indoor and outdoor water conservation is still not widely practiced in Georgia

• Then there is the issue of drought!

A Water Crisis? Yes!

A Primer onDrought in Georgia

Summary of the Past

• Droughts are a normal component of the climate system

• They have occurred in the past and will in the future

• The problem is that we have more people but the same amount or less of water and we use more of it per capita than in the past

Tree Ring Evidenceof Georgia Droughts

• Long-term Droughts lasting 3 or more years– 1756-1760– 1762-1764– 1797-1802– 1855-1857– 1896-1899– 1925-1927– 1954-1956– 1998-2002– 2006- 2009– ?

The Current Drought

• Started in March 2006

• Intensified in early spring 2007

• Cause Currently Unknown– Winter 2006/07 El Nino Winter/Spring– Winter 2007/08 La Nina Winter/Spring– Not evidence for or against climate change

Drought in Georgia

• Surface water flows were greatly reduced• Reservoir storage was almost depleted• Groundwater has been lowered, wells have

dried up• Soil moisture is still low.• Crops have been affected

A once-in-a-century drought in the Southeast

“We’re in the throes of a drought that’s never been seen in history,” Jack Dozier, executive director of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals, said during a 2008 symposium. “And it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Rainfall – 12 Months

Rainfall - 12 Months

Rainfall – 24 Months

Soil Moisture

More people are using more water, demand for freshwater resources are increasing,

while supply is not

Georgia is not alone. 36 states are anticipating local, regional, or statewide water shortages by

2013, even under non-drought conditions.

Water supply infrastructure is a major cost. There is less money to pay for it. Population growth and aging components add more stress to systems.

Kids having fun at Lake Lanier

Do you like to jet ski?

Any boaters or skiers?

How about fishermen?

Last one in is a rotten egg!

What happened to my waterfront property?

Lake Allatoona

Me and my dog out for a swim!

Bear Creek Reservoir (normal)

Same Place (drought)

Lake Lanier GA

Stream Flows

Classification of Classification of DroughtsDroughts• Abnormally Dry (1 in 5 years)

• Mild Drought (1 in 6.7 years)

• Moderate Drought (1 in 10 years)

• Severe Drought (1 in 20 years)

• Extreme Drought (1 in 50 years)

• Exceptional Drought (1 in 100 years)

Georgia’s Current Drought

• 2006 driest year on record

• 2007 second driest• 2008 third driest

• At risk: – Atlanta’s water

supply– Agricultural needs

Water Efficiency:Why America (and especially Georgia) need it

Water Efficiency:Why America (and especially Georgia) need it

Water Efficiency:Why America (and especially Georgia) need it

Federal Regulations

Federalism and Water Management

• Federal role– Commerce clause– Congressional WRDAs *– Often flood control– Usually embrace

deference to…

• State role– Allocation and water use

within jurisdiction* Water Resources Development Act is a biennial piece of legislation that is the main vehicle for authorizing water projects to be studied, planned and developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is also the legislative vehicle for implementing policy changes with respect to theCorps’ water resource projects and programs.

The ACF watershed• Apalachicola River

• largest in FL re: flow • 4th largest river in SE U.S.

• Union of Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers

• Chattahoochee River in N. GA on AL / GA border

• Joins Flint River at FL / GA

• Apalachicola discharges its nutrient-rich freshwater into the Apalachicola Bay, a highly productive estuary

WATER STRESSES:Conflicts over Shared Water

Resources • Downstream states are

concerned with impacts of future water demands in Georgia.

• Competing water needs create conflict over management of federal reservoirs.

• Interstate agreements would restrict future water allocations in portions of Georgia.

Federal Dam Management• 5 Army Corps of

Engineers managed dams in watershed

• Buford Dam, forming Lake Lanier, 62% of the ACF storage capacity

Tri State Compact

• Alabama• Florida• Georgia

• Interstate compact says when water quantities are insufficient to meet needs, all reduce usage proportionately

Florida’s response to GA’s Request

– Letter from Governor Charlie Crist toFormer President George W. Bush

What’s the Deal with Apalachicola?

• Apalachicola Bay– Oysters– $134 Million estimated

economic output

And then there are the mussels…

• Endangered fat threeridge mussels (pictured)

• Threatened Chipola slabshell mussel

• Threatened purple bankclimber mussel

• Important indicator of ecosystem health

• Cannot get cancer

… and the sturgeon too!• Threatened Gulf

sturgeon– A living dinosaur– 200 million years of

evolution– Once a substantial

commercial fishery, still recreational

• ACF as critical habitat– Spawn near headwaters– Migrates back to Gulf– Umbrella species

Battle lines are drawn

Georgia’s Response

Prayer

Governor and Mrs. Sonny Perdue bow in prayer with other citizens of Georgia, asking God to send rain to the parched region.  Governor Perdue called for prayers to end the drought and hosted a gathering on the Georgia State Capitol steps, November 13, 2007.  He asked that we pray with the citizens of Georgia that needed rains will come and that we also pray that all Americans will work to conserve our natural resources.Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“We live in the world’s most technically sophisticated society, yet we are now right back

where we were three thousand years ago, praying for rain.”

Garrett Ward, Texas Drought 1997

State Associations

Georgia’s Water• Water utilities throughout the state are permitted

by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to withdraw water and deliver it to their customers.

• In 2007-2008 many Georgia counties were facing an exceptional drought that is only seen once in 150 years.

• In November 2007, water utilities were ordered by the governor to reduce consumption by 10% over the previous winter in response to the drought.

Georgia Drought Response Levels

• Level One: Water on scheduled days - 12 midnight to 10 a.m. - and - 4 p.m. to 12 midnight.

• Level Two: Water on scheduled days - 12 midnight to 10 a.m.

• Level Three: Water on scheduled weekend day - 12 midnight to 10 a.m.

• Level Four: Complete outdoor water use ban

DROUGHT DECLARATION PROCESS

The State Climatologist’s office and EPD routinely monitor and evaluate stream flows, lake levels, precipitation, groundwater levels, and other climatic indicators that are supplied by several cooperating entities before declaring drought responses.

State Drought Response

• Initially focused on watering restrictions• September 2007 – Total outdoor watering ban• Significant impact on green industry• Reduced water sales by utilities• October 2007 – Mandatory 10% reduction• in water production by water utilities• May 2008 – HB 1281 signed, giving some

relief to green industry• Summer 2008 – Restrictions eased for• some utilities, big questions remain

In most cases, EPD eliminated the use of all forms of irrigation

Irrigation of any kind, No!Garden hoses, Yes!

Georgia’s Water Conservation Plan in Action!

“What we call man’s power over nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with nature as its

instrument.”

C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, 1947

Georgia’s Water

• Water utilities are required to enforce the Outdoor Water Use Rule which bans outdoor watering in the northern 1/3 of Georgia.

State-wide Water Plan Development• 2001 SR 142 – creates legislative• study committee• 2003 HB 237 – initial efforts stall• due to controversy surrounding• the sale of water permits• 2004 – Comprehensive State-wide

Water Management Planning Actpasses GA General Assembly

• 2008 HR 1002 – ComprehensiveState-wide Water ManagementPlan passes GA General Assembly

State-wide Water Management Plan

• Many challenges ahead for plan• Implementation• Without historic drought, plan probably wouldn’t

have been adopted by GA General Assembly• It took seven years to develop the “framework”. . .

this was the easy part• Very complex work to come• Many hard decisions to be made• Maintaining ongoing funding will be difficult

Agricultural Conservation Goals• Improve EPD’s agricultural

water withdrawal permitting system (21,000 permits now)

• Start measuring farm water use with meters (HB 579)

• More efficient irrigation (improved sprinklers, soil moisture sensors, water use audits, etc.)

• Drip irrigation systems

Water Purveyors ResponseGovernment Rebates and IncentivesRebates and Incentives In America!

Mostly offered in the Southwest but are beginning to appear in other regions.

Green Industry Response and

Economic Impact

When in a bind you need friends!

Just remember though that not everyone who shows up is

there to help you!!!!

Where are we now?

Drought Impacts……Feast or Famine

• If your business has anything to do with drilling wells, you’re lucky if you get three hours of sleep a night.

• If your business has anything to do with plants, landscaping or most things outdoors you are probably suffering.

• If you are involved with irrigation, and are still in business, you are definitely suffering!

The Georgia Drought monitor is a subset of the United States Monitor, issued every Thursday morning, based on drought conditions the previous Tuesday. The map below

shows the current drought level around the state, and the percent of Georgia land area in each drought level compared to the previous week.

Just 3 months ago at the end of November, Lake Lanier was very close to it’s record low of 1,050.81 feet. It got all the way down to 1,051.35 feet just 1/2 a foot away from the record. Since November there has been a solid amount of precipitation (even snow) that have helped fill

the lake up to 1,057.45 feet as of March 1st, 2009. That is an increase of 6 feet in a short amount of time and a good start to 2009 for Lake

Lanier.

Is the Drought Over?

from I.R. Tannehill, Drought: Its Causes and Effects, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1947

The Short-term Future

• Georgia State Climatologist, David Emory Stooksbury, Ph.D., predicts a dryer than normal and hotter than normal 2009 and beyond.

• We do know some things

– The temperature of the air will increase over the next several months.

– Moisture demand of plants will increase over the next several months.

The Short-term Future

• This increase in evapotranspiration will– Cause soil moisture to decrease through

October– Leading to decrease stream flows and

groundwater levels – Leading to lower pond and lake levels!– Probably leading to a tightening of existing

restrictions

The Longer-term Future

• We know very little– Local climate has not in the past, and may not

in the future, respond the same as the global climate

– Climate models have not been shown to properly predict local or regional scale climate

– We continue to have a very difficult problem

The Challenges

• The challenges ahead are huge

• Changing our ways is in our own self-interest

• Societal Changes change our vulnerability to drought – both increasing and decreasing our vulnerability

• We have the resources and the brain power to do it but do we have the will?

Lessons Learned?

Allied Golf Group

•Formed when the Urban Agriculture/Green Industry failedto produce results•Includes Owners, Managers, Pros,State Golf Association and Superintendents•Formed a Water Task Force•Pooled resources and have escaped the carnage.

They are a great example of being proactive!

Noah Didn’t Wait Until It Started Raining to Build the Ark

On the other hand, don’t wait for a drought to get engaged and to start conserving water!

Water ConservationWhy Should We Do It?

(more reasons than just a drought)

• Reduce personal and business water costs• Minimize the need for local governments to

fund expensive reservoirs, water treatment and wastewater plants, and pipeline projects

• Help maintain sufficient water in streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries for fishing, boating, swimming, protection of aquatic life and downstream users (we all live downstream!)

• More efficient irrigation means less polluted runoff into receiving waters.

Water ConservationWhy Some Local Governments

Don’t Support It• Loss of revenue from water sales by the

utility• Perception that a community is not

prepared for future growth and may therefore lose new residential, commercial and industrial development opportunities

• Backlash from citizens, businesses and industries adversely affected by water conservation measures and restrictions

Water Conservation:Why Some Individuals Don’t Support It

• Water is relatively cheap, even for heavy users

• They have a large investment in lawn or landscaping

• They do not believe that there is a water crisis when there is no drought

• They don’t care about the water needs of other people

Components of a water conserving community

What you should be doing:– Economize through behavioral changes and leak repair– Install water saving devices– Reuse water– Practice water conservation with outside watering– Observe water restrictions

What your local government can/should be doing:– Educating users and then enforcing water restrictions– Promoting installation of water saving devices (rebates,

free kits and home/business water audits)– Implementing changes in its own System Management

Outdoor Watering

Xeriscaping: 7 Steps for Water Efficient Landscapes

•Proper planning and design with low, medium and high water-use zones, sufficient shade areas and desirable plant types•Soil analysis and improvement•Selection of appropriate plants adapted to site and water needs•Practical turf areas for recreation, aesthetics or erosion control•Efficient irrigation to prevent runoff and reduce evaporative loss•Use of mulches to hold moisture and minimize maintenance•Appropriate maintenance to discourage new growth and avoid plant stress

Other Ideas

• Look for water conservation initiatives

in your area and help promote them

• Patronize businesses that practice and promote water conservation

• Get to know the other stakeholders and make friends

It is no longer acceptable to have water running

down the street!

What can we do?

Whatever you do, don’t do this!Whatever you do, don’t do this!

Don’t Don’t put all put all your your efforts efforts on the on the backendbackend!!

Don’t Procrastinate!Make Time Now and Prioritize

Need for Water EfficiencyNeed for Water Efficiency

Water shortagesexpected in 36

states

Consumers looking for ways to save on rising

utility bills

High-performing technology available

Water efficiency has potential for significant infrastructure

savings

Opportunity to change practices—up to 50% of water used in our yards is

wasted

Water Efficiency

• The U.S. population is projected to increase significantly over the next 35 years, and virtually every water system will face pressure to meet growing demand. Put simply, the best way to avoid the need for costly large-scale expansion tomorrow is to start increasing water efficiency today.

Water EfficiencyBenefits Beyond the Bottom Line

• Besides saving water and reducing costs, water efficiency offers many other benefits:

• Less water withdrawn from rivers, lakes, and aquifers, which keeps these water bodies healthy.

• Improved water quality due to increased river flows.• Less energy required to pump and treat the water, and therefore less

greenhouse gas emissions.• Less wastewater that requires collection, treatment, and disposal.• Less pollution from treated wastewater in our streams and waterways.

Water Efficiency:Why the landscape market needs it

• Nationwide, commercial and residential outdoor water use accounts for more than 7 billion gallons of water each day, mainly for landscape irrigation

• As much as half of that is lost or wasted due to evaporation, wind, runoff, over-watering, or improper irrigation system design, installation or maintenance

What is EPA WaterSense?

• WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that makes it easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment. Look for the WaterSense labels to choose quality, water-efficient products, programs and practices.

WaterSense and landscape irrigation

• EPA recognizes that an efficient landscape requires water efficient products and just as important …

• EPA recognizes the need for proper design, installation, maintenance and auditing

When Selecting an Irrigation Professionalfor Your Next Project

• Always Select Certified Contractorsand

WaterSense Partners!!!

Get Your Messages Out

• Community and special websites• Public service announcements (PSAs)

on radio and television stations• Newspaper notices and articles• Public meetings and presentations• Brochures and other handouts• Mailouts in water bills • Write your public officials

We need healthy landscapes and landscapes need water!

• A healthy landscape says welcome to my home or business.

• It gives our children a safe place to play.

Landscapes…

• Produce the oxygen we breathe.

• Reduce carbon dioxide.

• Moderate air temperatures resulting in lower heating and cooling costs.

One tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere One tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equaling 11,000 miles of car emissions.annually, equaling 11,000 miles of car emissions.

Landscapes…

• Filter air and water pollutants, noise and dust.

• Reduce stormwater runoff.

• Provide groundwater recharge.

thurt@uga.edu

Landscapers…

• Create Jobs! • Pay Taxes!• Create Beauty!• Contribute to their

communities!• Make the world a

better place!thurt@uga.edu

““You must be the change you You must be the change you wish to see in the world.wish to see in the world.””

Mohandas GandhiMohandas Gandhi

WATER. WE PUMP IT … PIPE IT … FILTER IT … TREAT IT and then…

BROWN SPOTS DUE TO POOR UNIFORMITY

LOSE 50% TO INEFFICIENCY

PUMP IT … PIPE IT … FILTER IT … TREAT IT

THEN RUN IT DOWN THE GUTTER!

THEN WE CATCH THE RUNOFF …PUMP IT BACK …

FILTER IT … REMOVE THE CHEMICALS AND RETURN IT

TO THE SYSTEM.

There has to be a better way!

Efficiency is part of the solution.

““It is one thing to find fault with an It is one thing to find fault with an existing system. It is another thing existing system. It is another thing altogether, a more difficult task, to altogether, a more difficult task, to replace it with an approach that is replace it with an approach that is betterbetter.”.”

Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela

This is your challenge as an industry!This is your challenge as an industry!

Don’t Be Caught Living In The Past

Plan Now or Later

Plan now under your own constraints with feasibility and time on your side or plan later under mandates, water restrictions or bans.

If you begin planning, it may lessen any impact later on.

The battle is coming. Will you be ready?

Use your water resources efficiently now.

Get engaged. Stay engaged.

Build alliances now.

Words to remember

• “I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing yet they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. And then it is gone. But to sacrifice what you are and live without belief, that's more terrible than dying.” Joan of Arc 1412-1431

Words to remember

• “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat.”

• “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

Why does this all matters to me?My Two Georgia Peaches: Teddy & Mellie

For all your irrigation needs contact:www.southernsprinklers.com

Ed Klaas1180 North Coleman RoadRoswell, GA 30075-3404Office (678) 461-7922Fax (678) 461-7921Mobile (770) 309-7032

Q & A?