My tour of drought impacted water supplies

My sister Lisa flew into Raleigh from New York for the Thanksgiving holiday just like she does every year. I always pick her up at RDU and we drive up to our parent’s house in Hendersonville for the Holiday. My sister, like many people, knew the south is in a drought but could not believe her eyes as she flew over North Carolina. She was very moved by what she saw. Just before Lisa flew back to New York we got together with my good friend Jenny for some pizza and beers. Over dinner the conversation naturally drifted to the drought and how extreme the conditions have become. Lisa commented that because of how bad it is she had contemplated if she should shower in Hendersonville or Raleigh or just wait until she got back to New York. After a good laugh about this she wished out loud that more people could see what she saw. Without missing a beat my friend Jenny suggested we ask her friend Bob to take us up in his plane to take pictures of the water supplies around the Triangle. Bob graciously agreed and my friend Dave volunteered to take video footage.

On Saturday December 1st Bob, Dave, and I flew out of the Chapel Hill Airport and over the water supplies for Chapel Hill, Cary, Raleigh, and Durham. I was speechless for the majority of the flight. (I know…that is hard to believe for those of you who know me, but I was.) The next day I went hiking with my friend Michael, who is an avid paddler, down the lower Haw River to where it becomes Jordan Lake. He showed me where the lake normally starts, pointed out rocks that should be covered with water, and showed me where rapids use to be. It was a very sad sight. The river was so low it looked more like a rock rubble field than a river. 

What I saw over the course of twenty-four hours was so overwhelming I don’t know how to put words to it. You’ll have to see for yourself:

• Click here to view the video footage; it is 19 minutes long but well worth the time.
• I started this group on flickr with all the photos I took and encourage you all to add your own pictures of how the drought is impacting where you live:

A lot of people think the answer to our water supply problem is to add more capacity or to build more reservoirs’. After seeing firsthand all the dried up tributaries, learning that treated wastewater is a lot of the stream flow into places like Jordan Lake, plus the very obvious lack of significant rainfall I have to ask…where will the water come from to fill these reservoirs?

Each of us needs to tighten our water conservation belts and encourage all of those around us to do the same. Just this week the News & Observer ran and article on how “…water use in Triangle communities has leveled and, in some cases, crept up again over the last month.” We all could be doing a little more. For tips on how to conserve water checkout the NC Division of Water Resources site by clicking here.

It also seems that it’s time for North Carolina leaders to look at long-term solutions to make sure we avoid a water supply crisis. This is why the NC Conservation Network is urging state leaders to:

• set statewide water use efficiency standards;
• require local governments to consider water availability before approving new development; and
• replace our outdated water rules with a comprehensive law that meets the state’s current needs.

You can join us in urging action by signing our online petition today. Click here to view the petition.  If you would like additional background information on these recommendations please click here.

I hope that you will share our story and pictures with others in North Carolina. As my sister said,

“If more people could see what I saw maybe they would think twice about how much water they are using.”

I want to say a special thank you to Lisa, Jenny, Bob, Dave and Michael for their time, ideas, and knowledge.

Please take a moment to share your story of how the drought is impacting your life with us by clicking on the add comment button.