At issue, Vol. 4, Issue 2 (Sept. 2009)

Volume 4, Number 2
TRI - STATE WATER WAR UPDATE
By Angie Fiese

State of Georgia

September 2009

Combating the

H1N1 Flu Virus

"When the well's dry, we
know the worth of water," observed Benjamin Franklin in 1774. Our state certainly understands its worth, as we have been waging a water war with our neighbors for more than two decades. We all remember the devastating drought in 2007 when Governor Perdue declared a water supply emergency in north Georgia when water resources dwindled to a dangerously low level. Georgia has taken steps to manage its water resources by developing a comprehensive drought response plan and a Statewide Water Management Plan. However, the water war reached a boiling point in July when U.S. District Judge Magnuson ruled that water supply, in the form of withdrawals from Lake Lanier, was not a Congressionally-authorized purpose of Lake Lanier. Authorized purposes were hydropower, navigation, and flood control water supply was only an "incidental benefit." The Judge delayed enforcement of the
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At Issue

By Rachel Moore
As anyone who has watched
or read the news recently is surely aware, state, federal, and world officials have been busy grappling with what could prove to be a substantial challenge to public health across the globe. In April of this year, findings of a new strain of the H1N1 influenza first emerged in Mexico. Since that time, cases have been reported in more than 168 countries

throughout the world, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak to be a pandemic. Although the virus is popularly called the "swine flu," concern that this term causes confusion about how the virus is spread (there is no danger in eating well cooked pork) has led WHO and other organizations to refer to the virus as "influenza A (H1N1)" instead. In the United States, nearly 70,000 cases of H1N1 flu have been reported this year, with at

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least 556 deaths so far. Georgia has not been immune. The Department of Community Health (DCH) reports that as of August 26, there have been 147 H1N1 related hospitalizations and four deaths in the state so far. Of course, influenza is a common killer every year across the globe, so what makes this latest strain different and what can be done to lessen its damage?
How serious is the threat?
Medical experts agree that the H1N1 virus poses a significant threat to public health, although there is still some debate about how severe this pandemic is likely to be. In a typical flu season, up to 20 percent of the general public becomes infected (not all exhibiting symptoms) and 36,000 people die annually. However, on August 24, the President's Council of Advisors of Science released a report that described a grim plausible scenario of 30 to 50 percent of the U.S. population becoming infected this fall and winter with the H1N1 virus and 20 to 40 percent of the population exhibiting symptoms. At least half of these symptomatic individuals would seek medical attention, culminating in 1.8 million hospital admissions throughout the nation. In all, H1N1 could result in a death toll of 30,000 to 90,000 in the United States alone.
After this dire report received a great deal of media attention, the Centers for Disease Con-

trol's (CDC) head, Dr. Thomas Frieden, stated that this scenario is unlikely to become a reality, so long as the virus maintains its current pattern. So far, H1N1 has not been any deadlier than the average flu seen each year. As winter comes to an end in the Southern Hemisphere, experts have been relieved to find that the impact of the H1N1 virus has
The H1N1 Flu Virus
not been as heavy as had once been feared. Even more encouraging, genetic tracking over the past few months has not found any signs that the virus is mutating into a more dangerous strain.
While the H1N1 flu so far is not significantly deadlier than the seasonal flu virus, what has alarmed medical experts is the demographics of the virus's victims. The typical flu's fatalities occur mainly in the elderly population. With H1N1, however, infections are 20 times more common among individuals ages five to 24 than in persons over 65. While about 80

to 100 children in the U.S. die each flu season, approximately three dozen children have died already this year, according to the CDC. Besides young people, pregnant women are also vulnerable; although they make up only one percent of the U.S. population, pregnant women have composed six percent of H1N1 deaths. Other at-risk populations include persons with chronic conditions such as neurological disorders, respiratory disease, and diabetes.
As with any flu, it is important for the general public to recognize the symptoms and to know when to stay home from school or work. H1N1 flu symptoms are similar to ordinary flu symptoms and can include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, fatigue, chills, and, less often, diarrhea or vomiting. Although fever is commonly thought to be a classic symptom of the flu, health officials caution that an absence of fever is no guarantee that a person is not infectious. According to CDC estimates, ten to 40 percent of infected individuals do not experience fever, possibly leading to a greater risk of spreading the disease because these persons do not realize they need to stay home.
Recommendations for the
Public
With children disproportionately affected by this virus, public health officials have been carefully considering the question
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At Issue

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ruling for three years to give Congress time to authorize water supply as a purpose for Lake Lanier. At the end of three years, if there is no resolution, the operation of Buford Dam on Lake Lanier will return to 1970s baseline levels. Thus, the required water flow from the dam will be 600 cubic feet per second (cfs) and only Gainesville and Buford will be allowed to withdraw water from the lake (eight million gallons for Gainesville and two million gallons for Buford).

In his ruling, Judge Magnuson documented a detailed history of Lake Lanier. Two feasibility reports, the Parks Report and the Newman Report, noted hydropower and navigation as direct benefits. The Southeastern Power Administration (SEPA) ultimately paid approxi-

mately $30 million towards construction of the dam. Even though Atlanta did not contribute to the construction costs, Congressional hearings showed that Atlanta was not required to pay because water supply was an incidental benefit in the form of regulation of

the Chattahoochee River's flow. The cities of Buford and Gainesville were authorized to withdraw small amounts of water from the lake because their original water intake structures on the Chattahoochee River were inundated by Lake Lanier. The Corps' 1958 operation manual provided for releases of 600 cfs from Buford Dam; however, the Corps agreed to additional withdrawals and a flow of 750 cfs in 1975. A drought in 1980 and 1981 caused the Corps to re-evaluate its operation of the dam, agreeing to provide minimum releases of 1750 cfs at the request of Georgia Power during the summer months.

At Issue

Furthermore, despite the fact that only Buford and Gainesville were authorized to withdraw water, both Gwinnett County and the City of Cumming contracted with the Corps to withdraw water in the 1970s. In 1981, a U.S. Senate-directed

The Chattahoochee Watershed

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At Issue

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of the role of schools in spreading H1N1 and under what circumstances it is appropriate to close a school. Cases of H1N1 amongst pupils have led to intermittent school closures in Georgia and throughout the nation. In guidelines released in August, the DCH told schools that school closure is not advised at this time for a suspected or confirmed case of H1N1. However, the state's guidelines caution that children, faculty, or staff with flu symptoms including fever remain at home for at least 24 hours after the fever has subsided without the aid of fever reducing medications. Persons with flu symptoms but no fever should be assessed individually, but the state recommends erring on the side of caution when deciding whether a sick student or employee should stay home. In the event a student or employee becomes ill during the day, he or she should be isolated and sent home, and sick students should not be sent to day care or other community activities outside of school. The guide-

lines also emphasize the importance of following sanitary measures including frequent hand washing and covering one's nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
The centerpiece of any response will be a vaccine that can protect against this novel strain of flu, and researchers around the world are currently hard at work developing and testing H1N1 vaccines. In

May, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius directed approximately $1 billion in existing federal funds to the development and clinical study of a potential H1N1 vaccine. Such a vaccine is expected to be available for distribution sometime in October and will be provided by the federal government to states at no cost. Government officials, including President Barack Obama, have stressed that the vaccine will be voluntary while also strongly urging Americans to line up to be vaccinated.
At a joint hearing of the Georgia House and Senate Public Safety Committees on August 10, officials from DCH gave an overview of current plans for vaccine distribution to Georgians. Because supplies of the H1N1 vaccine may be limited at first, initial vaccination efforts will be directed towards five key populations: All people ages six months
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At Issue

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Our state insists that the Court verting a tract of forest land in

Atlanta water study was com- take into account return flows, Dawson County, owned by the

pleted. It found that Lake Lanier which are water the municipali- City of Atlanta and Atlanta

and the Chattahoochee River ties return to the lake and the Hartsfield -Jackson Airport, into

provided more than 90 percent Chattahoochee River in the a reservoir.

of the total water supply for form of highly treated wastewa-

metro Atlanta, and it recom- ter. In recent years, metro At- Furthermore, several Senators

mended a new dam below Lake lanta's average net water use are still showing an interest to

Lanier. Alternatively in 1989, from the Chattahoochee is explore agreements with Ten-

the Corps determined that the roughly 1 percent of the aver- nessee for use of the Tennes-

most economical solution was age annual flow at the Florida see River, or to move the Geor-

reallocation of storage of Lake state line during non-drought gia-Tennessee border north. In

Lanier to water supply. This de- periods, and less than 3 percent fact, the border marker, the

termination was included in a during drought periods. How- Camak Stone, was recently

1989 draft Water Control Plan, ever, Judge Magnuson ruled found to be missing. The United

however; it was never adopted that the Corps does not require States Congress in 1796 estab-

because in 1990, Alabama filed the municipalities to return wa- lished the state of Tennessee

suit challenging the plan and the ter; the only requirement in their and designated its southern bor-

water supply contracts. This is water contracts is that the Corps der as the 35th parallel. In the

the lawsuit that began the allows them to withdraw water. spring of 1818, Georgia mathe-

"water wars."

Therefore, the Corps' obligation matician James Camak camped

remains the same.

near Nickajack Cave and used

Based on the fact that water

the stars to calculate where the

supply contracts reallocated While Georgia has discussed parallel would be. In 1826, Mr.

more than 20 percent of Lake appealing the Judge's decision, Camak returned for a second

L a n i e r s t o r a g e , J u d g e it also has contingency plans in calculation, moving the line and

Magnuson's ruling in July of this place that focus on negotiations the marker, the Camak Stone,

year, states that the Corps' ac- with Florida and Alabama, work- nearer to the Tennessee River

tions to support water supply ing with our state's Congres- but still about a mile south of the

constitutes a "major operational sional delegation, and develop- real 35th parallel. Had the line

change" and "seriously affects" ing additional water sources, been designated correctly, it

Lake Lanier's authorized pur- including reservoirs. There have would fall about in the middle of

pose.

been many reports about con the main river channel near

Nickajack Cave.

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may begin vaccinating healthy Influenza is an ongoing and un-

through 24 years old;

people ages 25 to 64. Adults fortunate threat to the health of

Persons living with or caring aged 65 or older are considered our society, and the H1N1 strain

for babies under the age of low priority because of their does seem to pose some

six months;

relatively lower risk for H1N1. unique challenges for the doc-

All pregnant women;

tors and researchers who battle

Healthcare and emergency While H1N1 has garnered much influenza year after year. While

services personnel;

attention lately, medical experts little can be done to stop the

and people ages 25 through stress that seasonal flu is still a H1N1 virus from coming to

64 who have health condi- serious concern as well. The Georgia or anywhere else, pub-

tions associated with a H1N1 vaccine will not be a re- lic health officials hope that vigi-

higher risk of medical com- placement for the seasonal flu lance and cooperation on the

plications from influenza. vaccine, and state health offi- part of the general public will go

Once demand for vaccination cials encourage Georgians to a long way in assuring that this

from these key populations is receive both vaccines.

flu season is not significantly

satisfied, health care providers

worse than any other.

At Issue

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