Drought Standoff: Oysters, Mussels and a Very Thirsty Atlanta

Alabama, Florida and Georgia meet today with federal officials as they attempt to come to terms over the sharing of the Apalachicola-Chatahoochee-Flint river system, according to accounts in today's Miami Herald and Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Already, the lack of water flowing through the system has affected commercial oyster and shrimp harvesting, honey making and endangered species of mussels that rely on the flow of fresh water. But Atlanta is thirsty, and it's upstream.

Competition over water is a way of life in the West, but the Southeast is a rain-rich region, making this long-running fight all the more indicative of the poor planning that allowed things to get to this state. Droughts happen (global warming may even make them happen more frequently, or with greater intensity). Atlanta, which has sprawled into a colossal expanse of highways and suburbs, is emblematic of the problem, but not alone.

Water is thought of as an endless resource (it rains down for free, after all) but some experts have predicted that water will become as precious as oil in many more places (after all, you can't drink oil) as the world's climate changes and its population continues to increase. Planning is about anticipating the potential for such extremes, using water wisely, and building anew only where there's enough water to go around. Other apparently water-rich regions should take notice.

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