South Georgia remains in extreme drought as water supply concerns grow

Although recent rains helped reduce the drought conditions in the state, several counties in South Georgia still face an extreme drought, and experts in Atlanta worry about water shortages in the future.

Southeast Georgia counties still face extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. drought monitor. Although this is better than the exceptional drought conditions the counties faced in May, most of the state is still under some form of drought.

Katherine Zitsch, director of water strategy at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, told WABE that the U.S. Drought Monitor is geared towards farming, and she is concerned about metro Atlanta’s water supply, which comes from large reservoirs like Lake Lanier.

As we move into the hottest part of the year, Lake Lanier’s water level currently sits at four and a half feet below full pool.

“This is when lake levels typically begin dropping,” Zitsch said. “So we’re really watching those lake levels, water supply reservoir levels. The rain definitely helped, but we have a ways to go before we’re out of the drought from a water supply perspective.”

Zitsch is encouraging water conservation now before the water supply is severely stressed.