From where I'm sitting right now on the steps of a building at a venerable institution of higher learning in North Carolina, USA, I see browned-out grass, parched shrubbery, and a fountain that he been turned off and covered over. Inside, you'll notice that bathroom fixtures have all been refitted to use less water, and in the dining hall, where I just purchased a smoothie, there are signs stating that the use of trays for carrying around your institutional supper has been discontinued because there's not the water to wash them.

If you're not in the southeastern United States right now, you might not know that we are experiencing the worst drought since 1894. In the Atlanta area, my parents are watching their precious landscaping work die away, as the primary water source, Lake Lanier, is predicted to hold only 90 more days' worth of drinking water. In their neighborhood, snitching on water-use violators is the norm, and I savor the idea of the douchebag neighbor down the street getting fined for washing his car.

But more than just affecting the day to day lives of people in the South, the historic drought is really drastically affecting the world we live in. Throughout North Carolina, farmers are giving up on their crops and selling their livestock because there isn't enough water to sustain them. The economy down here is losing billions of dollars.

"And its going to get worse before it gets better."

And because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing its duty to protect endangered species which rely upon our water to survive, the government of Georgia is attempting to suspend the Endangered Species Act in order to cover the asses of everybody who's cheated on the water restrictions this summer. And local, ahem, treasure Neal Boortz proposes that we should set the Georgia National Guard to seize control of the means to release water from Lake Lanier, screw the endangered critters. Oh, boy.

So I write to you from a parched wasteland, which prior to this drought was just a regular sort of wasteland, bless it.

Serves us right for trying to secede, huh?

Well, we won't be the only people taking a hit if this continues.

Drought conditions can be felt all over the country and locally as well. The drought is also impacting Tennessee, with no signs of letting up and its hitting businesses right where they make their living.

Jack Daniels water supply is running low and putting the century-plus whiskey business in jeopardy.

...

To the people who make Jack Daniels, all water is not created equal. It takes a special kind to make this whiskey and they say its only here in this cave. For that reason they have started conserving as much as they can. Using the water only for the whiskey and nothing else and even finding ways to cut back on the amount used in the process.

WBKO- Bowling Green

I don't know about y'all, but I need a drink.

Flux is certain that her beloved (and beloathed) Dixie will weather this weather, but she sure wishes it would rain.

Heathen_Dave

Birmingham, AL

July 2005

OCT 24, 2007 04:20 AM

Hey it rained almost 3" in Atlanta last night, as well as here in Alabama. Great news!

At the same time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing extreme amounts of water from Lake Lanier _ our region's key water supply source _ to enhance the habitat of two species of mussels and to keep a small coal-fired power plant in operation.

If it came down to it, I'd totally scratch off mussels to save lives. I don't think it will but come on, mussels aren't even one of the cute endangered species.

Sorry mussels, maybe you should have been more like dolphins so we'd care. Your own damn fault I say!

Uemantra

Okemos, MI

July 2005

OCT 24, 2007 04:30 AM

We hear about the droughts a lot up here in michigan. Mostly because our economy sucks and there are those who think it is high time to start selling off the lakes.

Though there is really no chance of that ever happening I do hope someone can figure out a way to get water to our friends to the south.

SmokyGough

Australia

July 2006

OCT 24, 2007 04:47 AM

Wow, it sounds like Australia right now! It hasn't rained here in months, things are starting to get pretty desperate around my parts. I swear the city lake gets lower every day as I pass it, and the grass gets browner. Farmers are struggling pretty badly. I had no idea the drought was getting drastic in America as well, don't hear about that much over here! So huzzah for this eye-opening article.

Colinism

Atlanta, GA

July 2005

OCT 24, 2007 05:03 AM

You know I wonder how many days like the one we just had will be needed to get back to normal. it's been raining almost for 24 hours now. The worst part is that people in atlanta forget how to drive in the rain and there will most likely be 1,000 crashes before I even get out the door....

RudieCantFail

Baton Rouge, LA

January 2006

OCT 24, 2007 05:05 AM

Flux said:

Jack Daniels water supply is running low and putting the century-plus whiskey business in jeopardy.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Dear, God, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

The last few years that I lived in Maryland, we were suffering from a water shortage, but it was more that the population had grown too large to be sustained, rather than an abnormally low amount of rainfall.

Allegro

Yonkers, NY

February 2007

OCT 24, 2007 05:09 AM

This article was in the NY Times magazine on Sunday:
The New York Times: The future is drying up.

CherryCoke

Derry, NH

May 2007

OCT 24, 2007 05:19 AM

I think we're getting all your rain up here in New Hampshire.
You can have some if you want.

ki1

Ireland

September 2007

OCT 24, 2007 05:33 AM

i am crying tears, at the mention of losing a single drop, of production, of my drink. i think y'all should drink jd instead of water. That way everybody will be too drunk to notice a drought.
its funny. In ireland we have just had one of the wettest summers in recorded history. we would looove some sunshine.

Johnny_Flapjacks

Williamsport, PA

September 2006

OCT 24, 2007 05:40 AM

Fuck JD..... I'll stick with the tried and true Knob Creek..... hope you get some water though.

Scapino

Greensboro, NC

September 2007

OCT 24, 2007 05:54 AM

Yeah, over in Greensboro we've got about 130 days of water left. There's been some rain last night, but I don't think its enough to help. Usually my college looks really vibrant around this time of year, but instead it looks like everything is dying. It needs to rain hard, and soon.