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Letter to Editor: Corps Has a PR Disaster On Its Hands

Originally Published Oct 28, 2007, 10:32pm (Updated Oct 29, 2007, 5:35pm)

1 comment(s)

The Corps of Engineers has a major public relations disaster on its hands. It has lost the trust and respect of the American people due to its poor leadership in the New Orleans disaster and the impending Atlanta disaster .

We all saw the failure of the Corps to protect the people of New Orleans from flooding due to hurricane Katrina. As a result of the flooding and home damage, about half of the population of New Orleans has not been able to return to their homes in over two years.

Atlanta may well go the way of New Orleans but in the opposite direction. By the summer of 2008, if dire predictions come true, with no water for drinking and flushing of toilets, hundreds of thousands of residents may have to flee Atlanta just so their families can survive.

The Corps passed up many opportunities to demonstrate leadership in this time of our drought crisis. Georgia Senators, Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, have pleaded with Corps leadership since 2006 to update their basic 20 year old water control manuals and plan to reflect the 21ST century needs of Georgia.

We do not need people in a leadership position in the Corps of Engineers with such a lackadaisical attitude toward basic water management and meeting the daily water needs of millions of Atlanta residents. The Corps needs a shake up from top to bottom.

Danny Wyatt
203 Springshade Court
Canton, Georgia
Cell 404.731.4855

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Comments

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Joe Webb

Nov 21, 2007 11:48pm [ 1 ]

Another Perspective

It is very surprising that Metro Atlanta’s massive population increase over the last 20 years has not been mentioned as a factor in the water crisis. The last time a drought of this magnitude occurred, the entire population of the state was less than 2,216,000. Of course, people and animals were adversely affected, but there was no concern about the long term water supply. This increase is not do to native population growth but to irresponsible immigration laws that allow over 1 million immigrates a year to establish residency in the United States. Illegal aliens add another 12 to 20 million people.
If we allow this trend to continue, the estimated population of the USA will be approximately 540 million people by the year 2050! What effect will future droughts have on the water supplies of already beleaguered metro areas such as Atlanta, Los Angles, Los Vegas, and Phoenix?

Georgia’s 2003 census recorded a population 8,676,460 and is expected to increase to almost 11,000,000 by 2015. Georgia’s population growth is among the most rapid in the nation. In the last decade, the state’s population has increased by more than 1.7 million. Metropolitan Atlanta accounts for most of this increase.

When Georgia had a modest population and regular rainfall, there was no problem meeting the water needs of Metro Atlanta, Alabama, and Florida. This condition no longer exists. Do to climate change; we can no longer count on regular rainfall patterns. Although we may get by this drought, there will certainly be others to follow. We must demand meaningful change and stop pointing fingers at the Army Corp of Engineers. The Corp did not create this problem and they can not solve it.

We must stop mass immigration and enact a rational water conservation program to protect our precious resources. Creating more reservoirs for metro Atlanta will only spawn more development and intensify the problem in the long run. It is time to realize, we must live within our means. Continual expansion is the ultimate recipe for disaster. Finally, others downstream depend upon the same water resources. Georgia must share!