Drought worsening in Georgia, USA by Philip Avery
The ongoing drought affecting much of the state of Georgia is growing worse. Northern parts of the state are hardest hit.
Georgian officials have now described the drought as “exceptional” in the northeast. Water levels in lakes and streams right across the state have fallen to record low levels, with 60 percent of Georgia classified as being in moderate drought.
Georgian authorities are particularly concerned about water levels in Lake Lanier – Atlanta’s main water supply, and other important reservoirs scattered across the state that have fallen to very low levels for mid-November. Water restrictions have been enforced in many parts since last year to save dwindling resources with a complete ban on all outdoor watering throughout northern parts of the state.
Authorities fear that many of the lakes and reservoirs may not fully recover this coming winter, even with average rainfall amounts. Georgia receives its largest amount of rainfall over the winter months and into the start of spring. There are no indications that the winter of 2008/2009 will be abnormally wet or dry; however, the last few winters across the southeast USA have generally trended towards being dry.
