ISSUE: Water rights

OUR VIEW: Drought has states facing off; national dialogue needed

During drought conditions of the past, river levels have been so low as to give the impression the Edisto is about to stop its flow. It's of considerable interest in Orangeburg, where the city's Department of Public Utilities continues to enjoy the benefit of drawing water from the river. It's a resource not to be taken for granted.

While Orangeburg County is not suffering under the intense drought conditions found in some parts of our state, and from even worse scenarios in other Southeastern states, there is every reason to believe water could become an issue here as it has elsewhere.

Lawmakers in Georgia are threatening to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over water diversion from places such as Lake Lanier, which is ground zero in the 2007 drought. With Atlanta's drinking water coming from the giant lake, there is deep concern about forecasts that without rain the lake could be dry in months. That's an incredible prospect.

The issues are not isolated to Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, where dry conditions have the states classified in the most severe form of drought.

As reported by The Associated Press:

* As of Sept. 25, Pasadena, Calif., experienced its driest year since records began in 1878. Many California communities imposed water-use restrictions.

* The Great Lakes, which together make up about 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water, have been in decline since the late 1990s. Lakes Huron and Michigan were about 2 feet below their long-term average levels, while Lake Superior was about 20 inches off, Lake Ontario 7 inches below and Lake Erie a few inches down.

* Maryland and Pennsylvania had about half of their counties under a drought watch. Many areas in upstate New York reported record low reservoir levels and dried-up wells and farm ponds.

* Alabama Power, the state's largest utility, has been operating some of its coal plants at significantly reduced levels to avoid raising water temperatures in the Coosa, Black Warrior and Mobile rivers.

* The Tennessee Valley Authority shut down Brown's Ferry Number 2 nuclear power plant due to inadequate stream flow.

* At the end of September, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division declared a level four drought response across the northern third of the state, which prohibits most types of outdoor residential water use.

With conditions threatening to worsen, more debate will arise about water rights. Battles such as the one South Carolina has with North Carolina over Tar Heel cities extracting millions of gallons a day from rivers that flow into South Carolina will become common.

There is a need for a national debate on water and water rights.

Recently, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democratic presidential candidate, cast light on the issue:

"As president, Gov. Richardson will launch a national dialogue on water issues affecting all parts of the country, including quality, conservation, efficiency and reuse. While certain areas of the country enjoy greater water supplies than others, Richardson in no way proposes federal transfers of water from one region of the nation to the other. Richardson believes firmly in keeping water in its basin of origin and of the rights of states to oversee water distribution."

Such water transfers inevitably will be debated in the context of states' rights. For now, states will go to court to settle water disputes. That may not always be the best way as the dry times continue.

You must be logged in to comment.