Drought,Water Conservation, and Water Supply Augmentation

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Drought,Water Conservation, and Water Supply
Augmentation

• Todd C. Rasmussen, Ph.D.
• Professor of Hydrology Water Resources
• Warnell School of Forestry Natural Resources
• The University of Georgia, Athens
• www.hydrology.uga.edu

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Drought

• An extended period of months or years when a
  region is faced with a deficiency in its water
  supply
• Droughts may by caused by
• Increased demand, or need, for water
• Decreased supply, or availability, of water
• Both factors contribute to our drought
• Our regions rainfall is below normal
• Our regions population is growing

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Source www.selig.uga.edu/images/mapchg.JPG
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Drought Levels
mgd million gallons per day
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Priority Uses

• 1. Medical and emergency facilities and emergency
  purposes
• Such as fire suppression, and the use of water to
  satisfy federal, state, and local public health
  and safety requirements
• 2. Domestic and personal uses
• Including drinking, cooking, washing, sanitary
  and health related uses and uses necessary to
  sustain domestic and livestock animals and
  personal food gardens (hand or drip irrigation
  only)
• 3. Commercial, industrial, and institutional uses
• 4. Refilling of ponds
• Which existed prior to the declared drought, and
  only to the level necessary to maintain aquatic
  life within the pond prior to the declared
  drought. Also, hand watering of non-lawn turf
  landscape plants and watering of golf courses
  tees box/green areas
• 5. Outdoor irrigation
• Uses such as lawn sprinkling (spray irrigation),
  irrigation of recreational/athletic fields and
  golf course fairways
• 6. Uses that do not sustain plant, animal, or
  human life, health or well-being and/or directly
  support established ongoing commercial,
  industrial, or institutional activities
• Such uses include non-commercial and fund-raising
  car washing, filling of decorative water
  features, public fountains, water slides, wading
  pools, and topping off of public and private
  swimming pools

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Water Conservation Options

• Goal (e.g., 40 gallons per person per day)
• Decrease water use where we live, work, and play
• Personal water use (e.g., 30 gal/day)
• Bathing, toilets, laundry, food preparation
• Outdoor water use (e.g., 1 gal/day)
• Lawns, gardens, fountains, swimming pools, car
  washes
• Commercial, industrial, and institutional water
  use
• Air conditioning (cooling water)
• Dining halls (food and beverages)
• Laboratories (teaching and research)
• Hospitality (conferences and hotels)

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Water Augmentation Options

• Leak Detection
• indoor (faucets toilets)
• outdoor (pipes)
• Storage (from local lakes)
• Limited due to small volumes
• Suitable for irrigation and fire suppression
• Can be treated in emergencies
• Groundwater (from wells)
• Limited due to shallow depth to bedrock
• Can supply limited quantities
• Subject to contamination

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Water Augmentation Options

• Water Reuse
• Grey Water
• Untreated wastewater reused at home
• Not approved due to health concerns
• Purple Water
• Treated wastewater delivered
• from a central treatment facility
• Suitable for
• Outdoor irrigation
• Some cooling
• industrial purposes

Clermont, FL