A Dry Season

A 2003 United Nation report made a grim prediction: More than half of humanity will be living with water shortages within 50 years. That same year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said 36 states expected to suffer water shortages in the subsequent decade. Those predictions have come to pass for many parts of the country, only they've happened a lot sooner than officials were expecting and in states not normally associated with water problems.

While Western states struggle with what has been a persistent problem for decades, many states in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast are now facing some level of drought. Meanwhile, Florida is again encountering water shortages after overcoming a dry period from 1998 to 2001. What's different about this drought compared with the previous one, however, is that the demand for water is much higher, and so are the stakes. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, in Tallahassee, says, for example, that the state's population “is expected to increase to nearly 24 million and water use is predicted to increase by 22 percent by 2025.”

The Carolinas, Alabama, and Georgia might be having the worst time of all. “We are in a Level 4 drought,” Janet Ward, director of public affairs for Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management, says. “It's the most serious drought you can be in. Our reservoirs are running dry.”

RUNNING ON EMPTY: Depending on whom you talk to, Georgia's Lake Lanier has either days or months before it runs dry.

Indeed. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has seen new record-low daily stream flows at 13 of Georgia's rivers—in some cases the lowest daily stream flows in 110 years. As rainfall deficits have been grossly below yearly averages, Atlanta has imposed water restrictions on normal activities such as watering lawns or washing cars. Add to this equation metro-Atlanta's explosive growth over the past 10 years, and the city is on the cusp of potential disaster. “If we don't get some rain here in the next four or five months, it's going to be a crisis,” Tom Krobot, CEO of Atlanta-based Ashton Woods Homes, says.

Of course, the question on everyone's mind is who or what bears the responsibility for the water shortages—aside from the lack of rain. “There are multiple causes,” says Sandra Postel, director of the Massachusetts-based Global Water Policy Project, a nonprofit group that promotes the preservation and sustainable use of fresh water. “In the West, cities have been growing at a rapid rate in areas where water is not available. In the East, we have had rapid growth too, but it is wetter here, so the issue is how we manage water.”

While environmentalists say over-development in Atlanta has led to unsustainable water demand, developers and the city of Atlanta dispute this. “Since 2000, Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management has added 13,000 new customers but our daily average demand has gone down 6 million gallons,” says Ward. Simon J. Tuohy, a development associate with Atlanta-based Urban Realty Partners, admits that development needs to slow down some, but he believes there should be no restrictions on building. “Construction will slow on its own, as it has already,” Tuohy adds. Instead, a combination of sustainable residential development and projects with water-conserving features will go a long way toward easing some of the water issues, he says.

Urban Realty Partners (along with Savannah-based sustainable developer Melaver) took such an approach for Oakland Park, a 65-unit loft project in Atlanta. In addition to a wide range of environmentally friendly products and building systems, the project will be 30 percent to 40 percent more water efficient than an average building. The units will have dual-flush toilets and water-saving appliances. Cisterns will collect rainwater for irrigation. Moreover, the grounds will have minimal landscaping with drought-resistant shrubs and plants. “More builders should do projects that have these features, but they cost a little bit more money,” Tuohy says. “Still, it is the right thing to do, and we need more developers to step up and be leaders.”

Douglas LeComte, a drought specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, says recent rains have relieved drought conditions in some parts of the South and parts of the Midwest, but he sees “little or no relief” for Georgia, Alabama, or the Carolinas. North Carolina, in particular, is still having acute problems. The USGS observed some of the lowest average August stream flows in over 100 years at some monitoring stations.

“We are under a series of water restrictions that have grown severe over time,” says Jonathan Philips, senior director of Cherokee Investment Partners, a Raleigh, N.C.–based company that specializes in sustainable redevelopment of brownfield sites. There is no outdoor watering allowed—even at the governor's mansion—and some parts of the state have instituted fines or elimination of water service for individuals who violate water restrictions, he says.

Cherokee Investment says it anticipated water shortages a long time ago and decided to start taking proactive approaches to deal with them; water conservation is now a huge part of its developments. The company is building the Mainstream GreenHome demonstration project in the hopes that more production builders will embrace green building and water-saving features in their developments.

Located in Raleigh, the 4,000-square-foot home will use 50 percent to 65 percent less water than a typical house. It will have automatic sensor faucets, dual-flush toilets, instant hot water tanks, and water volume adjusters. Other water-saving features in the home stand out, such as a recirculating water system. As the company explains it, a large portion of water is wasted while users wait for hot water, so the house uses a system that recirculates ambient-temperature water that typically is lost down the drain.

The GreenHome marks the first time the city of Raleigh has approved the use of recycled and treated rainwater inside a home. A rainwater harvesting system will help retain 95 percent of storm-water on site for landscaping, toilets, and laundry needs (the rainwater will be filtered). In all, the home will have the capacity to store 8,000 gallons of rainwater. Still, drought-tolerant plants will require much less water, thanks to a high-efficiency irrigation system that relies on soil moisture sensors.

“[Many] of these [features] can be done during the construction phase, and they can be done for an individual home or for a development,” Philips says, adding that builders could make an even greater difference by attaching a downspout to a collection container for irrigation and other uses.

It doesn't take a genius to grasp that the country has a problem that is likely to grow larger. The EPA says that between 1950 and 2000, the U.S. population essentially doubled but public water demand more than tripled. In a September 2002 report, “Managing America's Water–Toward a More Modern Approach,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers painted an even scarier picture. “This country is facing a looming water crisis,” the Corps wrote. “We are seeing frequent regional droughts, disputes over allocation brought on by growing population demands, and widespread disagreement over competing purposes for water resource use. It is quite likely that water will generate as much controversy in the 21st century as oil did in the last century. If America doesn't act, there will be more serious water conflicts in the next 20 years.”

The danger, of course, is that a period of heavy rainfall could render the water shortage debate moot. “People's memories are short,” Philips says. “When something is abundant, they don't treat it as a precious resource. They respond to the here and now and can't seem to focus on the future.” But the surging interest in sustainability and green building has created a sense of urgency among state and local governments, which means the debate about water conservation has assumed a different tenor.

Chris Miles, principal of eco-minded GreenCraft Builders in Lewisville, Texas, says water regulations could be tougher because more is at stake. “I think municipalities and states will start implementing restrictions all year round,” instead of only during periods of drought, he comments. “You're going to see a major shift in water attitudes.”

Tougher water restrictions will force builders to rethink product selections and landscaping. “Outdoor watering and landscaping are big culprits of water use,” Miles says. In fact, it is estimated that more than 50 percent of water goes toward landscaping in some parts of the country. “The big deal now is the outdoor space,” Miles continues. “People are into their yards, and for someone to come along and say stop watering the lawn is a huge issue.”

Postel says it will take a concerted effort by government officials and the general public to deal with the future water problem the country will likely face. “Managing development and the water we have are going to be important, especially with the likelihood of more droughts,” she says. Governments will have to develop standards for water use, especially for outdoors. “What's more important is for urban and suburban development to be more in sync with natural water systems.”

If you're serious about water conservation, use these products.

Even though water is everywhere, only about 1 percent of the world's supply is usable for human consumption. It's no longer good enough to use Energy Star appliances and 1.6-gallons-per-flush toilets. You need to step it up. Fortunately, products exist to help you do just that.

Rainwater collection can help. For the Mainstream GreenHome, Cherokee Investment Partners used a system from Oakboro, N.C.– based Blue Ridge Atlantic Enterprises to collect, filter, and harvest water on site for a variety of tasks, greatly reducing the demand on the municipal system.

A standard toilet is a huge improvement over old units, but a new crop of high-efficiency toilets that flush with 1.28 gallons is better. Kohler, Wis.–based Kohler—among others, such as TOTO and Caroma—offers dual-flush units (in its Sterling brand) that use either 0.8 gallons or 1.6. The company now offers the gravity-fed San Raphael Pressure Lite, which uses 1 gallon—which could save a household of four 7,000 to 10,000 gallons of water annually versus a standard unit, the company says.

In a typical house, good water goes down the drain while you're waiting for the hot water. A Metlund Hot Water D'MAND System from Costa Mesa, Calif.–based Advanced Conservation Technologies recirculates ambient-temperature water so hot H2O is near instantaneous and nothing is wasted.

Credit: SOURCE: U.S. DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER