Virginia Deane Abernethy
The intimate relationship between water use and electricity generation is often overlooked. Nevertheless, the deepening drought in Georgia and surrounding States demands a comprehensive analysis.
According to 7-year old data, electricity generation uses 68 percent of Georgia’s surface water. This connection suggests that conservation would be encouraged by higher electricity as well as water rates.
The still unmentioned factor is population size. Very rapid population growth has raised demand for both water and electricity.
Beginning in the late 1980s, Georgia experienced growth from internal migration. Many Californians feeling pressured by immigration moved to southeastern States. In this period, greater than 100 percent of California’s growth came from immigration because immigrants more than replaced departing Americans. Atlanta became a destination not only because of its strong economy but also because many California blacks retained kinship ties in Georgia. More recently, immigration has been a direct driver of population growth. Southeast Asian, Hispanic, Russian, and African immigration has made Atlanta and its suburbs one of the most diverse and polyglot areas in the United States.
Rising demand from a growing population is applauded so long as economic growth is seen as positive. When resource scarcity transforms economic and especially population growth into a threat, perceptions change. A comprehensive assessment of water scarcity in the Southeast would take all factors into account.
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