People vs. Endangered Species in Georgia

With the drought in the southeast U.S., a competition for the available water in Georgia has emerged among endangered wildlife, nuclear power plants and the people of Atlanta.

Much of the drinking water for greater Atlanta's 3.8 million residents comes from Lake Lanier, a huge reservoir north of Atlanta and one of five built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the Chattahoochee River system.

As it flows south, the Chattahoochee feeds into the Apalachicola River in North Florida, home of the fat threeridge and purple bankclimber mussels, the former of which is "endangered," and the latter "threatened."

In recent months, despite Atlanta's dwindling water supplies, the corps has had to release enormous amounts of water into the Chattahoochee-Apalachicola system to protect the mussels. But at the end of last week, on 16 November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that the Army can cut back on the amount of Lake Lanier water it's diverting to save the small-fry, in effect preserving water for Atlanta.

Georgians are elated but Floridians are upset. Atlanta is guaranteed to have drinking water for a while but Florida's seafood industry is at risk since it depends on Chattahoochee River water. So far, the power plants on the river haven't been impacted but they may have to power down if river flow decreases too low.

I've been pondering the question of what would happen if the drought continues. Specifically, how many people are willing to sacrifice human lives in Atlanta for the sake of the endangered fat threeridge mussel? Or the threatened purple bankclimber mussel? Being somewhat familiar with the fanaticism of animal rights advocates, I'd say quite a few.

Of course, this whole subject becomes moot if it rains, a lot. And although you wouldn't want to wish it on anyone, what Georgia could use is a hurricane.