If we are enduring a 100 year drought in Georgia, then we are assuredly enduring a 100 year failure in our elected leadership. We have encountered droughts about every 30 years in Georgia. In the past few years, climatologists and the NOAA have warned us of hotter and dryer times in the southern areas.

We may be in the beginning of a major unnatural disaster. Where are our elected leaders? Other than Shirley Franklin they are all invisible. If news reports are close to accurate, and the drought continues our region could become uninhabitable next year. How much longer is it going to take for federal and state officials to start a Manhattan type project to solve this problem? What are you waiting for or has the media blown this up and out of proportion? Who do we believe anymore?

I am not an expert on this issue but over the past few years I recall the following;

NO solution found in the water wars with Florida, Alabama and Georgia

NO comprehensive water management plan has been formulated to address the needs of Georgia in 2007 and beyond

NO action to address the major root cause of the problem unbridled growth policies

NO significant actions taken to provide the infrastructure to support Georgia’s growth

NO emergency plans have been offered for droughts; e.g. viaducts, new reservoirs, etc.

NO action taken to force over 1 + million Georgia residents to install water saving devices

NO action taken against the Corps of Engineers for releasing excess water above the legal limit

NO action taken to force counties like Hall to put in sewer infrastructure so that we can return water to the system and not to one spot in a septic system

NO demonstrative legal action to stop the stupid protection of 10 +- sturgeon and a few mussels downstream

NO action taken to stop supplying water to a downstream power plant that only provides power to 16,000 homes. Get real, shut it down.

Our situation should be like a war zone. Where are our leaders? What are our options? Where is the war room? I don’t see one. I am totally scared out of my wits over no water to my home. What do I do if no rain comes, buy a $1600 electric toilet (I can’t afford one) or rent a port -a -john? I can just see it now, in neon lights, Atlanta, the home of 4,000,000 port-a –johns; one on every corner.

In four months, when I do not have enough water to flush my toilets, what do I do?

Sonny, where are you? Are you a leader or you going to sit this one out? Senators, where are you? Are you going to sit this one out and put the blame on God for no rain?

Come on, all of us saw this coming for the past five years or more. Elected officials have allowed mega rezoning all over Georgia with little infrastructure. Maybe we deserve what we are getting? I do not think that we do. Elected leaders step up to the plate and take the blame for this one. If we can put a man on the moon, you can solve this one. You have a long history of not addressing the meaningful problems of our day. Where is the moratorium on new construction?

Maybe all Georgians should just pack up and move to Tennessee. What do you think elected officials?

Danny Wyatt

Canton, Georgia