Water Water Everywhere

There's been a lot of stories lately about water shortages, so here's a summary:

In response to recent drought conditions, the Georgia legislature is moving forward on a bill to move the northern border of Georgia 1.1 miles north; or specifically, "to pursue a claim that the south side of the [Tennessee] river —at least— belongs to Georgia." Here's an excerpt from the AJC story (note the reference to my hometown):

In the Senate, lawmakers broke into a rendition of "This Land is My Land," as Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) stood up to speak. Shafer introduced the resolution, which has been mocked by Tennessee lawmakers and scoffed at by some folks who live in the small border towns that would be affected.

Lawmakers want to fix a problem caused by an inaccurate land survey from 1818 that improperly marked the Tennessee-Georgia border south of where it should be. Shafer's resolution would establish Georgia's real northern boundary about a mile farther north into what is now Tennessee —giving Georgia access to the massive Tennessee River.

(Source)

Speaking of drought, here's a really scary slideshow from Newsweek showing before/after shots of receding lakes from all over the world.

Here's a related story-- scientists estimate a 50% chance Lake Mead will run dry by 2021. The man-made lake supplies water for Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

And here's an article on how the "ethanol boom" is exacerbating water shortages in the West and causing water wars between families, neighbors, and states by driving up the demand (and cost) of corn. Just goes to show you what's touted as "green" isn't always (ahem, Starbucks).

Last but not least here's a story from MSNBC on the effects of trawling as a method of catching fish. Below is a Landsat satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico. The tiny white dots are fishing vessels or oil/gas platforms.