Tri-State Water Wars: Impact on Metropolitan Atlanta’s Future Growth

Conflict can also occur within a country, for example the states situated within the Colorado river basin have been constantly squabbling over who owns the water supply and who should be allocated the most water. In the 1920s the ‘Law of the River’ established the division of water amongst the upper basin states, it also defined their responsibility to supply water to the lower basin states. This division had been based on an estimated annual flow of 21 billion m3/yr in 1920, however this was a time of above normal flows, recent studies have indicated that long term average flows are around 18 billion m3/yr. The deficit between the flow and the allocation has become more apparent as the population in the clorado basin states continues to rise. As a result of this deficit tensions are rising between the states, California receives a large percentage of the water as a result of its large population and political power even though the river does not directly flow through it. This has heightened tensions with the states

The upper basin states (including Colorado) were allocated a much greater percentage of the water than the lower basin states, while the upper basin states were developing at a much slower rate than those in the lower basin, notably California. Nevada (as of 1997) anticipated being unable to rely just on this water by 2015, while in 1997 California was already exceeding its originally allocated supply by diverting unused water from the upper basin states (Arizona.edu, 1997). It goes without saying that this legislation from the early twentieth century is not going to be sufficient in coming years as the development of these regions has progressed at a much faster rate than originally anticipated, and it is the responsibility of state and federal governments, water management companies, as well as appeals from farmers and non-farming residents alike to come to an agreement on how to apportion water and how to implement secondary hydration plans due to the rapidly declining resource that the once-magnificent Colorado River was able to supply us

The Colorado River Basin starts in the Rocky Mountains and cuts through 1500 miles of canyon lands and deserts of seven US states and two Mexican states to supply a collection of dams and reservoirs with water to help irrigate cropland, support 40 million people, and provide hydroelectric power for the inland western United States [1,2]. From early settlement, rights over the river have been debated and reassigned to different states in the upper and lower basin; however, all the distribution patterns lead to excessive consumption of the resource. In 1922, the seven US states signed into the Colorado River Compact, which outlined the policy for the distribution rights to the water [3], however, this compact was written during an exceptionally

Thesis: Georgia should be able to continue their withdrawals from Lake Lanier and the water basins because of their water supply needs for irrigating its crops in the south, flood control, and sustaining its rapidly growing population in the metro Atlanta area.

Moving on, there are some issues with the legislation that has been passed in order to conserve the water, especially concerning the Clean Water Act. People are having opposition with the rules of the Clean Water Act. Small business owners feel that this act is restricting the way that they tend to their property. For example, several farmers use pesticides, herbicides, and other fertilizers to keep harmful insects and other animals off of their crops, so they can grow properly. These pesticides eventually end up in our local rivers, lakes, and oceans which are making humans and animals very ill. However, they make money by the crops they sell, and to them, the Clean Water Act has a very negative economic impact on them (Landers). Although

Yet, humans have limited control on natural events, so this only reinforces the importance of managing water wisely. Recently California’s government has begun to focus more on sustaining and restoring the water supply. Dale Kasler (2016) articulates in his article some of the steps they have decided to make to solve this serious issue. The government has made the following investments: “$415 million for watershed restoration and other environmental aid for Lake Tahoe; up to $335 million for two proposed reservoirs in California, including the Sites reservoir north of Sacramento; $880 million for flood-control projects on the American and Sacramento rivers in Sacramento; and $780 million for flood-control projects in West Sacramento” (para. 10). This could be the first step to restoring the water to California. But these

The Colorado River is shared by several states due to the large capacity of water that it holds and its proximity. These states include California, Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. The Colorado water compact is a 1922 agreement that was signed by seven states within the US to govern the sharing or water resources along the Colorado River. Since the development of the compact, California has been the most disadvantaged state since it uses water that has been already used up by other states. Before the compact, most of the states that use the water were in conflict due to the unfair allocation of the water resources. The allocation led to the development of the upper and the lower basin with the division point at the Lee Ferry. Some of the states got more allocation than the others while some did not get any fresh water (Sally, 2012). The Colorado water compact is ruled by many contracts and rulings that were signed by the states that use the water.

Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.

In the United States, the available water resources is also under assault. Half of water collected and stored by existing infrastructure is usually used in the production of electricity. This forces the population to use and divide what little there is left. This has always been a “good enough” approach until now, when water prices and population is on the rise.(3) There are already calls for charging water resources in order to increase efficiency of use.(3) Water protection is already being carried out and has been for years, but there is still water pollution occurring within the United States. After the Civil war, America strived to provide its population with clean water

Specific purpose statement: To persuade my audience to take action in order to conserve one of the most finite and precious resources we have in the U.S.

This paper will attempt to explain where U.S. Sugar gets its water and how much it pays for it. There does not seem to be any readily available information on the source of its water or how much it pays for it. Knowing more about U.S. Sugar’s water usage could help explain U.S. Sugar’s stake in issues like the Everglades Restoration. But more importantly, these answers could have significant public policy implications. Is it the case that U.S Sugar is accessing a critical resource free of charge or at a lower cost that other users? If so, what conditions in public policy, have and continue to allow for U.S Sugar to avoid paying for its water? This paper will fill a critical research gap in answer these questions and making the information available.

A population and income growth will create an increased demand for food, which will lead to a more intense competition for water by other sectors. Lastly, he ended with the solutions to secure our water future: Sharing water between humans and environment, protecting water from pollution, water conservation, desalination, reusing, modernizing infrastructure, alternative energy and energy efficiency, food choices and agricultural production schemes, managing growth, and improved water governance. The second speaker, Jeni Arndt, talked for a brief time about scarce resources and her help with water legislation: passing three bills. The third speaker, Gregory Hobbs, talked about the amount of sharing that is done with water. Colorado, itself, shares water with 18 downward states. He expanded on ways to deal with the water crisis: ditches, reservoir storage, well pumping, and great land use decisions. Joe Meigs, the fourth speaker, spoke about aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) technologies. The ASR is a proven technology that involves the introduction of non-native water into an aquifer, which acts as a vessel for the storage of

In the context of water and sewer services, the United States is entering an era that demands the rebuilding and replacing of existing systems. The type and age of the pipes that make up American distribution systems can be related to population growth and economic booms (8). Most urban cities are utilizing water and sewer networks that are associated with the late 1800’s, World War I, the 1920’s, and post World War II. (8). Each of these time periods allots different characteristics of the pipes based on manufacturing, material, and life span. AWWA estimates that the cost for restoring and maintaining water services will reach $1 trillion over the next 25 years. The report stresses that delaying investment will only make the challenge more difficult and more expensive. Some customers will possibly see their water bills triple with the approach of paying as you go and spreading it across the population of the community. Challenges will vary for different regions and system sizes. The south and the west will endure the greatest investment challenges due to the growing population and challenge of managing supply and demand. Smaller communities will suffer more economically than larger communities because the cost will be spread out over a smaller population. In addition to economic impacts, delays will also degrade water services, increase

The similarities and differences between Cali and Accra are rather worth noticing. With both cities having numerous challenges in their urban water systems, it is important to point out the similarities in these challenges and find a lasting solution that might solve this common challenge. In reflecting on the similarities and difference in the management of the urban water system, taking into considerations their challenges and solutions thereof, I believe both cities could acquire lessons or pick initiatives from one another to initiate in their respective cities. Evaluation of the similarities and differences is important to help in planning of IUWM approaches for the city of Accra. These challenges, similarities and lessons can be summarized under various headlines.

Many large American cities do not have access to the clean water they desperately need. Clean water is essential for a healthy body, everyone must drink enough water on a daily basis for their bodies to function correctly. Clean