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Feds, not Atlanta, responsible for
Lake Lanier water woes
By
Charles "Chick" Krautler
Director, Atlanta Regional Commission
(Editor's Note: Chick Krautler wrote this commentary
for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. The Foundation is an
independent think tank that proposes practical, market-oriented
approaches to public policy to improve the lives of Georgians.
© Georgia Public Policy Foundation (2008). -eeb)
ATLANTA, Ga., July 29, 2008 -- Today, Lake Lanier is more than
13 feet below its full pool and nearly 10 feet lower than it was
this time last year. The state climatologist sees the next few weeks
as critical in determining the extent and severity of the 2008 drought.
By contrast, the reservoirs downstream from metro Atlanta are virtually
full.
Krautler |
This fact underscores the assertion of ARC and the metro Atlanta
water utilities that Lanier's record lows have more to do with how
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has operated the dam than the drought
or claims that Atlanta's growth has outstripped its water supply.
For more than a year and a half, the Corps tried to use Lake Lanier
and the other reservoirs in the system to maintain flows in the
Apalachicola River. While Lanier is a large reservoir, it cannot
drought-proof the lower basin. As a headwaters reservoir, it controls
only nine percent of the flow in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint
(ACF) basin above the Florida line. Most of the streams in the basin
enter the system downstream of Buford Dam.
Flows at the Florida line are 11 times greater than in metro Atlanta,
and the majority of these flows - including the entire flow of the
Flint River - cannot be stored in any reservoir. Consequently, most
of the water in the basin will flow downstream no matter how the
Corps operates the dam. Anywhere from 92 percent to 99 percent of
the water that enters the ACF is not captured and stored in a reservoir
and instead flows downstream to Florida and on to the Gulf of Mexico.
Metro Atlanta's water use reduces flows at the Florida line by
two percent at most. Using U.S. Geological Survey and Georgia Environmental
Protection Division data, the Atlanta Regional Commission computed
the effect of metro Atlanta's net water withdrawals---the amount
the region withdraws from the Chattahoochee and does not return
directly to the river---at one percent during periods of normal
rainfall and two percent during drought years.
In other words, if the 3.5 million people who depend upon Lake
Lanier and the Chattahoochee River were to move from the region,
flows at the Florida line in normal years would increase, on average,
less than two inches. That is an imperceptible amount in a river
that experiences daily fluctuations of more than two feet due to
hydropower operations.
The Corps operating plan that drained Lake Lanier has had a devastating
effect on North Georgia. Jobs have been lost, industry and people
are struggling to manage and water utilities are losing revenue
as conservation measures reduce usage. A look at the U.S. Drought
Monitor maps for Georgia shows that almost the entire western half
of the state is experiencing severe drought conditions, with extreme
drought in Northeast Georgia.
The Army Corps of Engineers cannot make it rain, nor can it do
much in the near term to remedy a situation caused by its unsustainable
operations. The problem is, however, that the Corps does not have
a plan to prevent such occurrences in the future. The Corps has
a responsibility to improve its management of the reservoir and
do better for all those who live in this large, but fragile basin.
The time has come for a balanced policy governing the ACF that acknowledges
the dynamics of the system and allows Lake Lanier to refill.
Gwinnett school lead metro area in meeting
fed guidelines
By
Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
JULY 29, 2008 -- That big portion of your local tax bill got a
major justification this week when the results for meeting federal
testing goals were announced.
Brack |
The Gwinnett Public Schools scored at the 94.3 percent level, the
best in Metro Atlanta, and even an improvement over last year, when
it scored at the 91 percent level. That should make you proud.
What was surprising is that these improved Gwinnett scores came
in a year when other systems throughout the state were not reporting
significantly higher scores. That makes the Gwinnett high rate even
more impressive.
Other percentage scores of nearby systems:
Fulton County 83.5
Cobb County 81.1
City of Atlanta 72.8
City of Decatur 66.7
City of Marietta 58.3
DeKalb County 53.6
The overall state average was 68.8 percent. The results over the
state showed high school performing poorly, with only 48 percent
meeting the testing goals, compared to 56 per cent last year. Elementary
schools fell even more, 19 percent, from 96 percent last year to
77 percent this year, while middle schools performed at the same
level as last year, 65 percent.
But the results in Gwinnett overall were superior. However, a few
Gwinnett schools did not meet the federal standards of making adequate
yearly progress (AYP). These schools included:
Alcova Elementary
Berkmar High
Meadowcreek High
Phoenix High
Richards Middle
Snellville Middle.
Most Gwinnett schools' results were termed "distinguished,"
though 13 schools were termed "adequate." Schools on the
"adequate" list were Berkmar Middle, Gwinnett Math and
Science, Lawrenceville Elementary, Lilburn Middle, Lovin Elementary,
Mulberry Elementary, New Life Academy, Norcross High, Patrick Elementary,
Shiloh Middle, Shiloh High, Summerour Middle and Susan Stripling
Elementary.
However, several of these schools which had been labeled as "needing
improvement (NI)" before, but made the AYP level for two years
in a row, now "move up" and are off the NI list. These
schools include Lilburn Middle, Norcross High, Shiloh Middle, and
Summerour Middle.
Three Gwinnett schools made AYP this year after not making it in
2007. These schools are Radloff MS, Sweetwater MS, and Oakland Meadow
School.
All three Buford schools were considered "distinguished."
You might want to know what all is included in this concept of
acceptable level of progress. It looks at math and reading test
scores, graduate rates, school attendance and other criteria. The
state also looks at groups of students, such as minorities, those
from poor families, students with disabilities, and those not fluent
in English. Though it may not be entirely fair, the entire school
fails if just one group does not meet the standards.
Schools that miss the mark for two consecutive years are labeled
as "needs improvement" and face sanctions.
* * * * *
While we all are somewhat taken aback by the constant emphasis
on testing in the schools, it's also good to measure yourself against
others, to see if you are reaching a certain level of achievement.
These scores give the state that ability.
We all rail against "teaching for testing." Yet when
a school fails to make the grade, that puts even more emphasis on
instructing the students in ways so that they will meet such guidelines.
It's not entirely right, but it's more or less a necessity these
days. Unfortunately, no one has come up with a better system for
our schools.
Mainly, we are pleased, and always surprised, that such a big a
system as Gwinnett, the largest in the state, can continue to perform
so superbly.
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County Public Library, named Library of the Year 2000. GCPL
currently operates 14 branches throughout the county. Library hours
are: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. GCPL offers traditional
books, magazines, CD books, downloadable audio, music and video,
plus online databases such as Morningstar, Science Resource Center,
LitFinder and HeritageQuest. GCPL also offers live homework help
with Tutor.com for students through 12th grade seven days a week
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prep courses, language arts and social studies. There is no charge
for this service and it is available remotely. Many online resources
are available. All branches offer wireless Internet, serving as
a remote office via your computer. The Gwinnett County Public Library
also sponsors a number of annual programs, including the Summer
Reading Program, Gwinnett Reads and, the Gwinnett Reading Festival.
For more information, visit any branch, www.gwinnettpl.org,
or call 770-978-5154.
Likes
map analysis on voting about MARTA in primary
Editor, the Forum:
You have provided a great
analysis of the transit vote on the primary ballot (it would
make a good Op-ed in the Gwinnett Section of the AJC).
Our polling at the Gwinnett Village CID showed strength for transit.
When you factor in the questionable wording and the position on
the political spectrum of the typical primary voter, I believe you
will find a solid 60 percent of Gwinnettians for expanded transit
options including light rail form Doraville to the Gwinnett Arena.
Keep up the good work for progressive causes like transit in our
neck of the woods.
-- Keith Shewbert, Norcross
Wants traffic plan
that might have chance at working
Editor, the Forum:
The Republican ticket was asking two questions in one. Would we
support MARTA in Gwinnett with a one percent sales tax increase?
The question should have been split. Would we support a sales tax
increase for rapid transit? Would we support the MARTA extension
into Gwinnett? This would have gotten a better reflection of what
people want.
MARTA is not the total answer to solve Gwinnett's problem. Why
would people want to increase taxes to only reduce traffic on the
I-85 corridor? Cross town traffic congestion is huge and growing.
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard traffic is also packed all the way
up to Lake Lanier.
A comprehensive plan is needed to be presented to the Gwinnett
citizens. This is not a party problem. We all get stuck in Gwinnett
traffic whether Republican or Democrat. And most people, I believe
would pay the one percent sales tax if they could see a plan that
worked.
-- Randy Sutt, Duluth
Feels Gwinnett MARTA
vote overlaid with racial fears
Editor, the Forum:
The "elephant in the room" with respect to the MARTA
question are the irrational racial fears. Extend MARTA and "they"
will come as well as crime, bodegas, braid shops....
Put it on the table.
-- Alvin S. Johnson, Sandy Springs
Finds spa in NC thoroughly
relaxing
Editor, the Forum:
Last Friday, my husband, Reagan, and I escaped the mundane to celebrate
our recent 18th wedding anniversary at the wonderful Shoji spa in
Asheville, NC. Shoji offers a unique Japanese-style spa experience
featuring private bath houses, outdoor hot tubs soaks, saunas, and
an array of massage and spa treatments.
At the Shoji spa, Asheville |
Our warm welcome began with some delightful herbal tea and a tour
of the grounds. We were then issued our own Japanese Yukatas (robes),
sandals, and towels and escorted to the changing rooms to partake
in the Japanese tradition of bathing before soaking in the hot baths.
In Japanese culture bathing and soaking are separate rituals. The
tradition is to wash before soaking, and never in the same water.
Once the bathing ritual was complete we wound down the well-landscaped
paths in the woods to our own private bath house. Our private tub
was enclosed with Shoji sliding doors and bamboo walls on three
sides tucked into a mountainside. The fourth side was open to the
West with a fabulous overlook of the national forest. For an hour
we indulged in our hot tub, the sauna and the "cold plunge."
(They tried to convince me that the 65° tub of water was invigorating
but I didn't buy it!)
From there we were summoned to the main house to enjoy a glorious
Japanese skin brushing and an hour aroma therapy massage This proved
to be sheer heaven and by far the best massage of my life! Once
again we enjoyed the bathing ritual and some quiet time in an outdoor
relaxation area. Those few hours at Shoji offered us a much-needed
escape and a wonderful pampering we plan to indulge in again and
again! To learn more about Shoji and the many delights it has to
offer visit www.shojiretreats.com.
-- Paige Havens, Lawrenceville
Suwanee
concert Aug. 1 features Essix, Miller
Eric Essix and Melvin Miller, well-known Atlanta-based jazz performers
and both members of the contemporary R&B/jazz ensemble 5 Men
on a Stool, will take the Town Center stage for the August 1 Suwanee
Smooth Jazz concert. This free concert will begin at 7 p.m.
Eric Essix has enjoyed a recording career that spans 20 years and
has produced more than 10 albums and several radio hits. An electrifying
guitarist, Essix studied at Boston's prestigious Berklee College
of Music.
A prolific performer and creative trumpeteer, Melvin Miller's latest
release, Here's to Life, has garnered rave reviews.
Off-site parking will be available at the Shawnee North Business
Center, 305 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road. Free shuttle transportation
between off-site parking and Town Center Park will be provided from
6:30 p.m. to10:30 p.m.
Lawrenceville to have
dance performance on Friday
Join Studio Dance and Fitness Friday, August 1 from 6:30pm-10 p.m.
for the kickoff of "Studio's" new monthly event series,
featuring a rotating series of performances, refreshments, and activities.
August's event will include dance performances by Studio's instructors
and students, tea service by Serenitea Now, free refreshments, face
painting, craft activities, and class giveaways.
The festivities will be held at Studio, which is at162D E. Crogan
Street in downtown Lawrenceville. For more information, contact
Maggie Walls at maggie@studiodanceandfitness.com.
Transit usage up about
one quarter over March figures
Rising fuel prices have prompted more Gwinnett County residents
to park their cars and get on the bus. Gwinnett County Transit ridership
has increased nearly 24 percent on express routes and 26 percent
on local routes between March and June of this year. The increase
has resulted in overcrowding on some of the routes.
Phil Boyd, Gwinnett County Transit Director, says: "Despite
the ridership increase, we've made adjustments to accommodate new
riders. We added nine new 57-passenger MCI buses in mid-May, allowing
us to accommodate much of the increase on three of the I-85/I-985
express routes."
GCT also worked with the Gwinnett Regional Transportation Authority
to revise express schedules on two Discover Mills routes and a Snellville
route to add service times during the morning and evening rush hour.
Midday trips with few or no passengers were decreased, and four
trips were added to the Snellville-to-downtown route to offer passengers
seven morning departures and seven evening return trips spaced about
30 minutes apart. "The net effect of restructuring these routes
is that we added trips and seats to the rush commuting hours without
significantly increasing overall operating costs. In fact, GCT will
stay within the GRTA operating budget through 2011 without increasing
operating costs that would shorten the contract," said Boyd.
In addition to the route increases, GCT negotiated with GRTA to
keep two of the five 57-passenger MCI coach buses that originally
were leased for just one year. Later this year, GCT plans to purchase
with federal and state transit capital assistance several new MCI
clean diesel coach buses with a seating capacity of 57 to replace
the 37-passenger CNG buses. They expect to replace the entire GCT
fleet with MCI buses by mid-2009. The CNG buses will be used on
local routes to provide additional seating.
Gwinnett County Transit plans to increase parking at the U.S. 78/Hewatt
Road park-and-ride lot and complete construction plans for more
spaces in the Discover Mills park-and-ride lot. Transit shelters
will also be installed along local routes to protect riders from
the elements.
Senator Balfour in
line to head national confab of legislators
Balfour |
State Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville) took office as president-elect
of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) last week
at the organization's annual meeting in New Orleans. Chosen by more
than 8,600 of his colleagues from across the nation, Sen. Balfour
will take office as president at NCSL's meeting next year in Philadelphia.
Sen. Balfour has served in the Georgia Senate for nearly 20 years,
and he is the first legislator from Georgia to be elected to NCSL
office since the organization was formed in 1975.
Prior to his election, Sen. Balfour served on the NCSL Executive
Committee as an at-large member. The last member of the Georgia
General Assembly to serve on the NCSL Executive Committee was the
late Sen. Paul D. Coverdell, who served in the state Senate until
1992 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.
The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization
that serves legislators and staff from all 50 states, its commonwealths
and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and
opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing
state issues.
NAMAR selects Karen
Love for "Good Neighbor" award
Karen Love of Virtual Properties is the July/August "Good
Neighbor" of the North Atlanta Metro Association of Realtors.
Love |
Karen started the first Sentinels of Freedom Chapter in Georgia
(www.sentinelsoffreedomgwinnett.org)
in Gwinnett County. The chapter is made up of a group of citizens
and veterans dedicated to bringing home a severely disabled veteran,
giving them a job, home, car, college education and life coaching
for four years to help them comfortably settle in Gwinnett County.
Karen has worked tirelessly to help raise money and awareness for
this cause.
The Chapter is still looking for an individual, group or institution
willing to provide a home for a returning severely disabled soldier
and his/her family. The home can be gifted or loaned and is needed
for the foundation's scholarship term of four years. If you can
help or are interested in joining the Gwinnett Chapter, please contact
Karen Love at sentinelsoffreedom@charter.net.
The Ethical Assassin, by David Liss
"The title got me to wondering what was inside this book.
Inside, I found what I call a 'Florida mystery,' a book filled with
very odd characters like those populated in Florida newspapers and
popularized by Carl Hiaasen and Edna Buchanan. But this one has
a twist -- the 'hero' is a post-Marxist vegan do-gooder who gets
involved with animal rights issues and disposes of them in a, well,
different way. The narrator is a kid working to earn money to put
himself through Columbia University by selling encyclopedias and
you learn more than you want about the cutthroat world of door-to-door
sales. Author David Liss, who usually writes historical mysteries,
this time pens a wonderful, odd and darkly hilarious novel that
I couldn't put down."
-- From Andy Brack, Charleston, S.C.
- An invitation: What
Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have
read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus
what book you plan to read next. --eeb
Washington
action, Walton's explanation, quells uprising
(Continued from July 25, on Trans-Oconee
Republic)
U.S. president George Washington believed that Clarke's scheme
was detrimental to relations with both the Indians and the Spanish.
In accordance with Washington's policy of neutrality, his administration
pressured Governor George Mathews to put an end to the affair and
threatened federal military intervention otherwise. To keep the
federal government out of what he considered to be a state issue,
Mathews issued a proclamation in July officially condemning Clarke
and his adventurers. Certain of his innocence, Clarke voluntarily
surrendered to authorities in Wilkes County. Four sympathetic justices
of the peace released him, and he promptly returned across the river
to continue his plan. Recognizing Clarke's popularity, Mathews hesitated
to take further action against him.
Furthermore, restoring valuable land to the Creeks, who were despised
by many Georgians, would not be received favorably. After a month
of indecision, the governor was spurred into action by the "spirited
exertions" of Judge George Walton, one of Georgia's signers
of the Declaration of Independence and a staunch Federalist. In
his charge to an Augusta grand jury, Walton carefully explained
why Clarke's actions were in violation of both state and federal
laws. Allowing Clarke's settlements to continue, Walton argued,
would disrupt the stability of the new federal government and set
a dangerous precedent. If Clarke could occupy "the richest
jewel the state of Georgia possesses" before the lands were
legally opened, then nothing would prevent others from doing the
same, and federal treaties would be worthless.
With Walton's eloquence and reputation on his side, Governor Mathews
felt confident enough to send the militia against the illegal settlements.
As 1,200 militiamen under Generals Jared Irwin and John Twiggs marched
to the Oconee in late September 1794, Clarke vowed to defend his
independent state with his life. However, when Irwin offered full
amnesty to those who would peacefully return east of the river,
Clarke and virtually all of his men surrendered and went back to
their homes. Mathews wrote to the secretary of war in October, declaring
that "the whole business happily terminated without the loss
of blood." Thus Georgia peacefully ended a tense standoff and
avoided a clash with the federal government.
Would grope for nearest
open grave if no newspapers
"Call it vanity, call it arrogant presumption, call it what
you wish, but I would grope for the nearest open grave if I had
no newspaper to work for, no need to search for and sometimes find
the winged word that just fits, no keen wonder over what each unfolding
day may bring."
-- Print and radio journalist Bob Considine (1921-1968).
Send your thoughts, 55-word short stories, pet peeves
or comments on any issue to Gwinnett
Forum for future publication.
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is an online community commentary for exploring pragmatic and sensible
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