2012 Report: 10 major U.S. cities will begin to suffer water shortages

From Dateline Zero – While there a number of cities that could be underwater within our lifetime, there’s a list of 10 U.S. cities that could be too low on water sometime soon.

SEE RELATED: 7 Cities About to Sink.

Interestingly, many of these cities will be in trouble as early as 2012; or at best, 2013. For example, Las Vegas’s water problems will affect other areas of Nevada and Arizona. These problems could potentially stop the Hoover Dam from producing electricity — as soon as 2013. As of 2013 Orlando will no longer be able to increase the rate at which it uses water from the city’s main source of fresh water supply, for example. Atlanta will lose roughly 40% of its water supply by 2012.

One report comments: “Believe it or not, the water problem is worse than most people realize, particularly in several large cities which are occasionally low on water already but will face definite shortfalls in the next few years.”

Here are the ten largest cities by population that have the greatest chance of running out of water.

Orlando, Fla.

North-central Florida, especially Orange County where Orlando is located, has experienced frequent droughts in the last decade. As a consequence, the area has implemented extreme conservation measures, including aggressive water-rationing policies and lawn-watering bans.

After the drought and resulting wildfires subsided, however, Orlando faced another problem. As of 2013, Orlando will no longer be able to increase the rate at which it uses water from the city’s main source of fresh water supply. This presents a major problem for city officials: how does the limited water supply continue to meet demand for one of the fastest-growing regions in the state? Orlando Utilities Commission water usage trends show Orlando water demand exceeding the supply by approximately 2014 if no action is taken.

There are plans in the works to tap the St. John’s River for irrigation, and eventually drinking water. Many, however, are skeptical that even this will be enough to meet Orlando’s growing demand.

Atlanta

Between 2007 and 2008, the Southeast experienced a major drought, which depleted the region’s major water supplies. No city in the south suffered more than Atlanta, the second-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the last eight years.

The crisis began when the Army Corps of Engineers released more than 20 billion gallons of water from Lake Lanier, the city’s primary source of water. Continued poor rainfall brought the lake to its lowest recorded levels. At one point, city officials reported there was only three months left of stored fresh water to supply Atlanta.

The drought eventually subsided and consistent rain returned the lake to less dangerous levels. However, Atlanta may continue to be at risk, as the lake is the site of an ongoing legal conflict between Georgia, Alabama and Florida, all of which rely on the reservoir for fresh water. Last year, a federal judge declared Atlanta’s withdrawals from the lake illegal, and if the ruling stands, the city will lose roughly 40% of its water supply by 2012. Read about all 10 cities, at Dateline Zero.