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Water supply,waste assimilation,and low-flow issues facing the Southeast Piedmont Interstate-85 urban archipelago |
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| Authors: | C Rhett Jackson Seth J Wenger Brian P Bledsoe J Marshall Shepherd Krista A Capps Amy D Rosemond Michael J Paul Meredith Welch-Devine Ke Li Timothy Stephens Todd C Rasmussen |
| Institution: | 1. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA;2. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Contribution: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing;3. School of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Contribution: Conceptualization, Resources, Writing - review & editing;4. Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Contribution: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft;5. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Contribution: Conceptualization, ?Investigation, Writing - original draft;6. Tetra-Tech, Durham, North Carolina, USA Contribution: Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing;7. Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Contribution: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing;8. School of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Contribution: Conceptualization, Visualization, Writing - original draft;9. School of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Contribution: Conceptualization, ?Investigation, Writing - original draft;10. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA Contribution: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft |
| Abstract: | Rapidly growing cities along the Interstate-85 corridor from Atlanta, GA, to Raleigh, NC, rely on small rivers for water supply and waste assimilation. These rivers share commonalities including water supply stress during droughts, seasonally low flows for wastewater dilution, increasing drought and precipitation extremes, downstream eutrophication issues, and high regional aquatic diversity. Further challenges include rapid growth; sprawl that exacerbates water quality and infrastructure issues; water infrastructure that spans numerous counties and municipalities; and large numbers of septic systems. Holistic multi-jurisdiction cooperative water resource planning along with policy and infrastructure modifications is necessary to adapt to population growth and climate. We propose six actions to improve water infrastructure resilience: increase water-use efficiency by municipal, industrial, agricultural, and thermoelectric power sectors; adopt indirect potable reuse or closed loop systems; allow for water sharing during droughts but regulate inter-basin transfers to protect aquatic ecosystems; increase nutrient recovery and reduce discharges of carbon and nutrients in effluents; employ green infrastructure and better stormwater management to reduce nonpoint pollutant loadings and mitigate urban heat island effects; and apply the CRIDA framework to incorporate climate and hydrologic uncertainty into water planning. |
| Keywords: | climate variability/change urban areas water resources management water supply |