Tennesse Town Runs Out of Water

[Alerik the Fortunate]

According to this article

Tennessee Town Runs Out of Water
By GREG BLUESTEIN,
Posted: 2007-11-01 22:30:40
Filed Under: Nation News
ORME, Tenn. (Nov. 1) - As twilight falls over this Tennessee town, Mayor Tony Reames drives up a dusty dirt road to the community's towering water tank and begins his nightly ritual in front of a rusty metal valve.

With a twist of the wrist, he releases the tank's meager water supply, and suddenly this sleepy town is alive with activity. Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.

About three hours later, Reames will return and reverse the process, cutting off water to the town's 145 residents.

The severe drought tightening like a vise across the Southeast has threatened the water supply of cities large and small, sending politicians scrambling for solutions. But Orme, about 40 miles west of Chattanooga and 150 miles northwest of Atlanta, is a town where the worst-case scenario has already come to pass: The water has run out.

The mighty waterfall that fed the mountain hamlet has been reduced to a trickle, and now the creek running through the center of town is dry.

Three days a week, the volunteer fire chief hops in a 1961 fire truck at 5:30 a.m. - before the school bus blocks the narrow road - and drives a few miles to an Alabama fire hydrant. He meets with another truck from nearby New Hope, Ala. The two drivers make about a dozen runs back and forth, hauling about 20,000 gallons of water from the hydrant to Orme's tank.

"I'm not God. I can't make it rain. But I'll get you the water I can get you," Reames tells residents.

Between 6 and 9 every evening, the town scurries. Residents rush home from their jobs at the carpet factories outside town to turn on washing machines. Mothers start cooking supper. Fathers fill up water jugs. Kids line up to take showers.

"You never get used to it," says Cheryl Evans, a 55-year-old who has lived in town all her life. "When you're used to having water and you ain't got it, it's strange. I can't tell you how many times I've turned on the faucet before remembering the water's been cut."

"You have to be in a rush," she says. "At 6 p.m., I start my supper, turn on my washer, fill all my water jugs, take my shower."

During its peak in the 1930s, Orme (rhymes with "storm") boasted a population of thousands, a jail, three schools and a hotel. But those boom times are long gone.

After the coal miners went on strike in the 1940s, the company shut down the mine and the town has never been the same. Not a single business is left in Orme. The only reminder of the town's glory days is an aging wooden rail depot that sits three feet above the eerily quiet streets.

Although changes are coming - cable TV arrived just a few years ago - cell phones still don't work there. The main road into town is barely wide enough for two cars to pass one another. Dogs wander the streets, farm animals can be heard all around town, and kids gather outside the one-room City Hall to ride their bikes.

"It's like walking back in time. It's Never-Never Land here," says Ernie Dawson, a 47-year-old gospel singer who grew up in Orme.

Water restrictions in Orme are nothing new. But residents say it's never been this bad.

Even last summer, as the water supply dwindled, city leaders cut off water only at night. But in August, Reames took the most extreme step yet and restricted use to three hours a day.

Elected in December, he has now spent $8,000 of the city's $13,000 annual budget to deal with the crisis. Most of the money went toward trucking water from Alabama.

He has tried to fill the gaps with modest fundraisers, but it hasn't been easy. A Halloween carnival last week cleared about $375 and a dog show two weeks ago made $300.

The town has received a $377,590 emergency grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that Reames hopes will be Orme's salvation. A utility crew is laying a 2 1/2-mile pipe to connect Orme to the Bridgeport, Ala., water supply. The work could be finished by Thanksgiving.

"It's not a short-term solution," Reames says. "It is THE solution."

He says the crisis in Orme could serve as a warning to other communities to conserve water before it's too late.

"I feel for the folks in Atlanta," he says, his gravelly voice barely rising above the sound of rushing water from the town's tank. "We can survive. We're 145 people. You've got 4.5 million people down there. What are they going to do? It's a scary thought."

2007-11-01 15:23:11

I imagine we'll be seeing things like this more, especially in the Southwest U.S., where we have to import much of our water anyway.

[Count Dooku]

I'm glad my city dwells on a large natural river (and I'm also glad it's not levied - my home is about 80 feet above sea-level).

[fgalkin]

Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.

What. The. Fuck. No, seriously, what the fuck?

They have a water shortage, they run water 3 hours a day, and they're all taking showers, and use washing machines and dishwashers?

Have Americans become physiologically incapable of conserving anything?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Master of Ossus]

Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.

What. The. Fuck. No, seriously, what the fuck?

They have a water shortage, they run water 3 hours a day, and they're all taking showers, and use washing machines and dishwashers?

Have Americans become physiologically incapable of conserving anything?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Using a dishwasher is more efficient than washing dishes in the sink, even in terms of water usage. I'm not sure about washing machines. The biggest source of wasted water in the US is watering lawns, which these people don't seem to be doing.

[Sea Skimmer]

I'm pretty certain the biggest source of wasted water in the US, and most countries, is pipeline leaks, assuming we aren’t counting the gross inefficiency of flood irrigation as waste. A good 20% of all that purified water we shove into the distribution system is lost because of leaks.

[Kuja]

Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.

What. The. Fuck. No, seriously, what the fuck?

They have a water shortage, they run water 3 hours a day, and they're all taking showers, and use washing machines and dishwashers?

Have Americans become physiologically incapable of conserving anything?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Using a dishwasher is more efficient than washing dishes in the sink, even in terms of water usage. I'm not sure about washing machines. The biggest source of wasted water in the US is watering lawns, which these people don't seem to be doing.

Showering is also far more water-efficient than filling up a tub for a bath, as well.

[Edi]

Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.

What. The. Fuck. No, seriously, what the fuck?

They have a water shortage, they run water 3 hours a day, and they're all taking showers, and use washing machines and dishwashers?

Have Americans become physiologically incapable of conserving anything?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Using a dishwasher is more efficient than washing dishes in the sink, even in terms of water usage. I'm not sure about washing machines. The biggest source of wasted water in the US is watering lawns, which these people don't seem to be doing.

Bullshit. Fill one sink with soapy water, the other one with just water and start washing dishes from the least dirty (typically glasses) to the dirtiest. Rinse them in the clean water sink and then put them out to dry. This uses a fuckload less water than a typical dishwasher and you can do the dishes of a five person family easy without needing to use anymore. Doing dishes by hand does not require water to be running the whole time. My family did things this way for well over 20 years and my parents still do it that way because they do not have a dishwasher. I do, and I haven't used it once, because a two person household takes a week to accumulate enough dishes to justify using it.

[Flagg]

Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.

What. The. Fuck. No, seriously, what the fuck?

They have a water shortage, they run water 3 hours a day, and they're all taking showers, and use washing machines and dishwashers?

Have Americans become physiologically incapable of conserving anything?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

So they shouldn't wash their clothes or take a shower?

[Balrog]

Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.

What. The. Fuck. No, seriously, what the fuck?

They have a water shortage, they run water 3 hours a day, and they're all taking showers, and use washing machines and dishwashers?

Have Americans become physiologically incapable of conserving anything?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

So they shouldn't wash their clothes or take a shower?

I think they mean they should do things the 'old fashion way' in order to conserve water, not go without bathing and cleaning. But I am curious if we can get some definitive proof that either or is more effective at conserving water.

[CaptainChewbacca]

If you've only got 3 hours of water a day, clean yourself with a bucket and a rag, and save the shower for sundays.

[Flagg]

If you've only got 3 hours of water a day, clean yourself with a bucket and a rag, and save the shower for sundays.

Why? You've got 3 hours of water a day. You can take a 5-10 minute shower once a day and be fine. There's a difference between normal use and waste.

[Chardok]

<snip>

Didn't Uni of Bonn do a study that said dishwashers are more efficient and use less water than hand-washing?

[loomer]

What. The. Fuck. No, seriously, what the fuck?

They have a water shortage, they run water 3 hours a day, and they're all taking showers, and use washing machines and dishwashers?

Have Americans become physiologically incapable of conserving anything?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Using a dishwasher is more efficient than washing dishes in the sink, even in terms of water usage. I'm not sure about washing machines. The biggest source of wasted water in the US is watering lawns, which these people don't seem to be doing.

Bullshit. Fill one sink with soapy water, the other one with just water and start washing dishes from the least dirty (typically glasses) to the dirtiest. Rinse them in the clean water sink and then put them out to dry. This uses a fuckload less water than a typical dishwasher and you can do the dishes of a five person family easy without needing to use anymore. Doing dishes by hand does not require water to be running the whole time. My family did things this way for well over 20 years and my parents still do it that way because they do not have a dishwasher. I do, and I haven't used it once, because a two person household takes a week to accumulate enough dishes to justify using it.

The hell? You're wasting an entire sink of water. Don't rinse it in clean water, just wash it, put it there to air dry, come back in four hours and stack it all away. It may be slightly dirtier, sure, but it's a hell of a lot less water intense.

[Edi]

<snip>

Didn't Uni of Bonn do a study that said dishwashers are more efficient and use less water than hand-washing?

Did they factor in that most people actually rinse everything with running water before putting it in the dishwasher? Everyone I know of and have ever seen does that, and if it was left out of the calcs, the study is worthless. If they factored that in, then it could be interesting.

The hell? You're wasting an entire sink of water. Don't rinse it in clean water, just wash it, put it there to air dry, come back in four hours and stack it all away. It may be slightly dirtier, sure, but it's a hell of a lot less water intense.

If you enjoy the taste of soap in your glass or on your plate the next time you eat, be my guest. If you rinse in the clean water sink, it'll still use up a lot less water than rinsing under running water, which was the point of comparison.

[The Dark]

<snip>

Didn't Uni of Bonn do a study that said dishwashers are more efficient and use less water than hand-washing?

The Bonn study found handwashers used an average of 103 litres of water and 2.5kWh of energy washing 12 place settings. The machines used 15 litres of water and about 2kWh of energy. The best handwashers used 30 litres of water and 1 kWh, so they're twice as energy-efficient, but half as water-efficient as a machine. The best practices for hand-washing are basically what Edi said - scrape food off rather than rinsing, don't pre-rinse, and use two sinks to wash and rinse. That most efficient practice still uses double the water of an efficient machine.

[Edi]

If they're using 30 liters of water per handwashing, what the fuck kind of bathtubs do they use for sinks?! I have two sinks in my kitchen and I could maybe barely fit 15 liters of water into them put together. And it works just fine for handwashing.If I had to throw out a rough guess, I'd guess the sinks are roughly 6 liters apiece, maybe 7 if you really stretch it and that's based on comparison to the size of a 3 liter pot. I never need to refill either sink, even If I need to wash all of the week's dishes in one sitting.

My parents are in the same situation and the same goes for them as well. The only time they've ever needed to refill either sink was when they were having cocktail parties and typically those involved between 12-20 guests.

Furthermore, if the Bonn study really was about 12 place settings, how is that relevant to everyday family life? People generally run the dishwasher after dinner, so assume the dishes for a family of four for dinner plus maybe some more from breakfast, doesn't come close to a 12 place setting and it still uses the same amount of water, at which point efficiency goes down really fucking fast compared to handwashing dishes.

They ought to do a study on the impact of handwashing vs machinewashing dishes in households that get billed for their water by the gallon. All other things being equal, the water bill generally goes down when the dishes are handwashed due to the inefficiency described above. It's actually what has happened to people I know personally. In addition to that, handwashing is more energy efficient, so it shows in the electric bill too. The only place where it loses out is time efficiency, since you can do other things while the machine is running.

Based on what has been said here, the Bonn study is all well and good for comparing maximum capacity for a given situation, but it would only be relevant for instances where such maximum usage is constant, e.g. restaurants. It has little relevance to a normal household, unless they handwash dishes more than once per day.

[muse]

If they're using 30 liters of water per handwashing, what the fuck kind of bathtubs do they use for sinks?!

This is the sink in my sister's apartment:


The one in my BF's place is even bigger, and I could probably fit my butt in it if I wanted to.

If I had to throw out a rough guess, I'd guess the sinks are roughly 6 liters apiece, maybe 7 if you really stretch it and that's based on comparison to the size of a 3 liter pot.

I'm not sure if this is funny or sad, but that's about the size of my bathroom sink...

[loomer]

<snip>

Didn't Uni of Bonn do a study that said dishwashers are more efficient and use less water than hand-washing?

The Bonn study found handwashers used an average of 103 litres of water and 2.5kWh of energy washing 12 place settings. The machines used 15 litres of water and about 2kWh of energy. The best handwashers used 30 litres of water and 1 kWh, so they're twice as energy-efficient, but half as water-efficient as a machine. The best practices for hand-washing are basically what Edi said - scrape food off rather than rinsing, don't pre-rinse, and use two sinks to wash and rinse. That most efficient practice still uses double the water of an efficient machine.

]

What the fuck? No, seriously, what the fuck? My sink can hold about 5 litres, I'd guess. I use five litres, unless half of the entire wash (And it has to be big, in this case), is pots and pans, in which case I might have to use 10. We don't use 30 litres here, nowhere close, since that 5 or so litres serves for the ENTIRE DAY's washing. Let's assume 12 place settings a day as in the study, but for a week. 25 litres of water as compared to 75 litres.

[Gil Hamilton]

What the fuck? No, seriously, what the fuck? My sink can hold about 5 litres, I'd guess. I use five litres, unless half of the entire wash (And it has to be big, in this case), is pots and pans, in which case I might have to use 10. We don't use 30 litres here, nowhere close, since that 5 or so litres serves for the ENTIRE DAY's washing. Let's assume 12 place settings a day as in the study, but for a week. 25 litres of water as compared to 75 litres.

I'm sorry, but I have to call bullshit on this. A liter is only a cube 10cm to a side. 5 liters, taking your sink to be a rectangular prism half as deep as it is long or wide, would be a shade over 10cm deep and 21 long and wide. I don't think they make kitchen sinks that small and you wouldn't be able to fit much cookware in it.

For reference, the single bowl kitchen sink we have at home can fit a a large cooking pot in it along with assundry other cookware bits. I'd guess ours could hold well over 50 liters of water.

[loomer]

Having just measured it (Very roughly, i.e, with hands, not a tape measure), it's about 18 cm deep and a foot long and wide. So my initial guess was wrong. However, the sink is normally only filled about halfway, so it's effectively 9x30x30 instead of 18x30x30.

[LadyTevar]

What the fuck? No, seriously, what the fuck? My sink can hold about 5 litres, I'd guess. I use five litres, unless half of the entire wash (And it has to be big, in this case), is pots and pans, in which case I might have to use 10. We don't use 30 litres here, nowhere close, since that 5 or so litres serves for the ENTIRE DAY's washing. Let's assume 12 place settings a day as in the study, but for a week. 25 litres of water as compared to 75 litres.

5 liters of water is what they pulled out of Nitram's bloated stomach, but it wouldn't fill up the typical double sink. Try again.

[Edi]

Okay, it looks like my estimates were off pretty badly. Just measured my sinks, and they hold somewhere around 15 liters each, but that would be filled to the brim (30x40x13 cm with rounded corners). At typical usage, if there's a large amount of dishes, if sink is between two thirds to 75% full, that'd be around 10 to 11 liters. The rinsing sink (actually a bit smaller, but we'll assume same size here for a conservative lower limit) doesn't need to be more than half full, so that'd take about 17-19 liters of water total per handwash. So, it does indeed seem that I am wrong, but the numbers don't come out that different.

Of course, it all depends on just how big the sinks in any given kitchen are, since I've seen some pretty damned enormous ones. The sinks muse shows and describes are larger than what I have, so they would require more water for handwashing dishes.

[Vympel]

Personally my biggest annoyance re: water wastage is the schmucks who leave their tap running the entire time they're brushing their teeth. What, do they need the sound effect to have them in the appropriate mood the whole time?

And does anyone really need to waste half a toilet-cistern of water (minimum) so they can turn their toilet water from yellow to clear? What for?

[Flagg]

Personally my biggest annoyance re: water wastage is the schmucks who leave their tap running the entire time they're brushing their teeth. What, do they need the sound effect to have them in the appropriate mood the whole time?

And does anyone really need to waste half a toilet-cistern of water (minimum) so they can turn their toilet water from yellow to clear? What for?

That's small potatos compared to people who water their lawns even when it's raining.

[Gandalf]

That's small potatos compared to people who water their lawns even when it's raining.

You know, it might just be that for as long as I can remember that there's been drought conditions, but I don't think I've ever seen someone water a lawn.