Water Wars

Thirteen years ago I moved to Georgia and thought I was done worrying about not enough water. In California, it was 7 years of El Nino (wet) and then 7 years of La Nina (dry) then back to El Nino---always too much water or not enough. It was more inconvenient to me when it was drought, because of rationing. You know, flushing the toilet every other. Using grey water on your plants outside. Xeriscaping. Reading local editorials and wringing your hands and wondering if there would be enough to go around.

In Georgia I had to relearn. Always too much water, and heat, which = humidity!!!! Cut your grass at least twice a week--(and what single working mom can keep up with that????) Weeds were abominable! What the holy heck were all these giant insects??? I understood why the early settlers used the slash and burn method! The upside was that everything is green all the time, at least in the summer. It can get pretty cold in the winter, and even snow sometimes. But that makes for more interesting plant life.

OK....gardening has been a big part of my life, even my identity, for 30 years. I realized this week-end I was really angry. Why? We are in the midst of a terrible drought in this part of the South. This has not been a sudden event, we have been working up to this point for several years. I bought my soaker hoses, I refreshed my ground cover! I planted this spring just like I always do, with joy and anticipation. The Easter hard frost was nasty, but we bounced back. My hydrangea bloomed, although admittedly not like they have in the past. But my peonies were fabulous!

I'm not angry about the drought. It happens, it always has. I'm angry because the local municipal officials have turned a blind eye to this. Suddenly with no warning, as of 3 weeks ago, we are in an absolute 24/7 outside watering ban. People are being paid to fink on their neighbors for watering. Anyone caught watering is heavily fined. Who are these elected officials???

These people are paid to manage our local resources, and I find their lack of foresight, planning, and communication unbelieveable.Have they not realized until now, all of a sudden, that we are almost out of water? There were no warnings in the spring, when everyone including me, was planting, as we have done every year during this drought. There was no warning at any time that we would go to a complete ban. It just happened, and suddenly.

Now they say if we don't get rain, we could be completely out of water by December. But they are too afraid so far to impose any kind indoor restrictions. The local politicians are hoping for rain, and/or a bail-out by pumping water from the local river. Which is down, of course!

This is not the river, it's the reservoir...

Bear Creek, barely a trickle and a shadow of it's former self, flowing into reservoir...

This reservoir is about five miles from my house. It services 4 (growing) counties, and at least 250,000 people, including the University of Georgia. The shoreline has receded about 300 feet on all sides. There is that terrible rank fishy smell, from everything that was under water for years, now exposed. The mayor of the city finally rode out here last week, and pronounced the reservoir low (duh!) and the situation dire.

I realized this about myself a long time ago. When I am stuck in angry, there is usually sadness or grief hiding under that righteousness. And that is the the primary emotion I have to deal with. (Ewww!)

I know it is childish, but I am seriously grieving my fall routine of planting and scheming. (Certainly not as much as the local nurseryman farmers, and thousands of local rural folks on wells) I feel like an important part of me is being seriously denied. Yet when I look at the big picture, how important is this in the grand scheme of things? In Haiti, water to drink is hard to come by!

I tried to cheer myself up on Sunday buying some pumpkins instead of mums and pansies to go with my late summer impatiens.(which I admit I am keeping alive illegally---I have let all my other containers go though) The retail therapy really did not work, and that is when I realized I was angry and sad. The plumber is coming this week-end. He does not know it, but we are going to talk about grey water!