The New York Times has yet another article featuring the Savannah area, this time focusing on the growth of Effingham County and the strain the development has put on our water supply.

Quoted from the NYT:

UNTIL five years ago, it seemed that the breakneck pace of development in Effingham County, a Savannah suburb in southeast Georgia, knew no limits. But like other fast-growing areas across the country, Effingham had to learn that large-scale expansion often comes at a price. In the county’s case, it was the long-term integrity of the vast underground water supply that serves it as well as other major areas in the South.

The population in Effingham County has grown from 37,535 in 2000, to 48,954 in 2006 turning the farm atmosphere to subdivisions, chain stores and Wal-Mart. This pace of development has put strain on our already fragile Floridan Aquifer. Basically, this means that when the fresh water has been tapped out, pulling more water will cause salt water intrusion and render the aquifer undrinkable. This could happen in as early as five years.

For Effingham to secure fresh water availability without straining our resources, they have to pipe in treated water from Savannah that comes from streams and rivers. This water doesn’t come cheap either.

Mrs. Taylor, a mortgage banker, and her husband, a sales representative, used to pay $30 a month for their water; their monthly bill for water that now comes from Savannah is $300, and sometimes more. “It can be very hard on a family’s budget,” she said.

Three hundred dollars a month - for water. That is the same as the cost of our air conditioning bill in our one bedroom apartment!

The good news of this development is that it clearly states the Creative Coast is growing quickly. But at what cost? We need to look at finding ways to grow the community in a green manner. Look at recycling, solar panels, reusing landscaping water and shower runoff for gardening and other uses. Now all of this seems a little ‘hippy-esque’, but think of the cost of salt water intrusion. At what point do you limit growth when the regions resources are being strained?

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