Atlantans forget water woes, found wasting water

Water usage in July increased 10 percent over July 2008, according to state officials. This July marked the first month North Georgians could water after the state restrictions were lifted. A story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the Georgia Environmental Protection Division isn’t too concerned about the increase. The average daily withdrawal from Lake Lanier in July (408 million gallons) was markedly better than the amount taken three years earlier (499 million gallons), said Linda MacGregor, watershed protection branch chief. Jill Johnson, a lobbyist for Georgia Conservation Voters, told the paper, “The news is disappointing. It shows that Georgians have not made conservation part of their daily lives.”