Mayor: ‘Even if it starts raining, we need to save water.’

The drought brings us all closer together, be it through possible dry taps and the quest for a precious resource, or by cutting through all the formalities and talking about toilets with the mayor of the South’s largest metropolitan area. Cherish these times, folks.

Mayor Shirley Franklin issued another plea today to the residents of Atlanta to conserve water during the historic drought this region is experiencing. In front of media at City Hall, the mayor announced new initiatives aimed at conserving water and helping the city reach its goal of cutting down daily water use from 102 million gallons to 91.5 million gallons.

The initiatives include allowing only one landscape exemption per property, prohibiting the filling of pools — new or old — while the drought is still in effect, and eliminating the sale of irrigation meters. The city will also be working with the Atlanta Regional Commission and Home Depot to offer $1 million worth of $100 rebates on ultra-low-flow toilets for residents. Further measures include working with the State Environmental Protection Division and the city’s 50 largest water users — which include Coca-Cola, Gatorade, Delta and the city itself — to find ways to reduce water consumption.

The mayor urged that conservation was integral for ensuring Atlanta has a water supply should the drought continue for an extended period of time. “Even if it starts raining, we need to save water,” she said. “Long term, this community has to conserve water because it’s the right thing to do. Experts say it could take a year or two or three to get the reservoirs back to their traditional levels.”

And any thoughts on establishing a moratorium on growth, Miss Mayor? “No,” she said. Earlier in the conference she stated that proper water management measures could accommodate metro Atlanta’s growth.