The News Review:

- Water warnings from decades past
- Ala. officials will study water issues
- What to do about frozen pipes

Water warnings from decades past
News & Observer – Feb 19, 2008
Perhaps a legislative Water Allocation Study now under way will get at some of these issues. Stewart’s wasn’t the only foresighted idea. In 1993, David Moreau, director of the Water Resources Research Institute at N. State University, issued a report examining trends in water supplies since the turn of the 20th century. He noted that most of the state’s reservoirs were built between 1915 and 1965 as part of hydroelectric projects. Since then, flood-control projects at Falls Lake north of Raleigh and Jordan Lake south of Chapel Hill were constructed.

Ala. officials will study water issues
Forbes – Feb 19, 2008
Greg Canfield, R-Vestavia Hills, said he would handle the resolution in the House. The action in the Legislature comes as Alabama continues to suffer the effects of the drought, which has threatened to shut down industry and forced cities to take measures to protect water supplies. The drought intensified a long-running dispute between Alabama, Georgia and Florida concerning water usage. The Georgia Legislature earlier this month passed that state’s first statewide water plan and it has been signed by Gov. At a Statehouse news conference Tuesday, Benefield said the drought has shown that water resources can’t be taken for granted, even in Alabama with its extensive networks of rivers and lakes…
I can tell you from personal experience that crops without water do not survive,’ Benefield said. Canfield said he hopes the committee will borrow from some of the lessons learned in the Birmingham area, where communities adopted numerous water use restrictions and conservation plans during the drought. ‘We have always viewed Alabama as a state rich in water resources. Today Alabamians are painstakingly aware that this natural resource is not infinite in its availability,’ Canfield said. Bob Riley mentioned creation of a committee to study Alabama’s water resources during his ’state-of-the-state’ speech to lawmakers earlier this month. Jerry Sailors, co-chair of the Southeast Water Alliance, said the drought has emphasized how vulnerable Alabama is to water shortages.

What to do about frozen pipes
Chicago Tribune – Feb 19, 2008
Some houses have meters outside on the wall near the street. If you have a well, the shut-off will be on the wall closest to the well. Some houses built on a slab foundation rather than a basement or crawl space may have a main shut-off at the point where the water supply pipes come up through the slab. It’s a good idea to attach a tag to the valve identifying it as the main shut-off. If you have to shut off the water to your house, turn the handle on the valve clockwise until it stops. Another way to remember the direction of the turn is to think of the way the top of the valve handle moves as you turn it: Right is tight, and left is loose. Once you’ve identified the main valve, visually trace the course of the water supply pipes around your house looking for other shut-off valves.