Southeast cuts back amid drought

From the shriveled cotton fields of northern Alabama to the browned lawns of suburban Atlanta, the Southeast is wilting under one of the most severe droughts in its history.

In Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida, there has been less rain than at any time since records began in 1894. Farmers, who face the brunt of the drought, are harvesting parched fields of damaged corn, peanuts, corn and soybeans. Cattle producers are selling their stock because they cannot afford to pay for feed. Tobacco hanging in barns is not curing because it is too dry.

As the drought intensifies, the water shortage is hitting urban and suburban residents too.

Hydropower plants are raising rates, watering bans are being imposed, and almost everyone in this rapidly developing region is being called on to exercise self-restraint.

Even the seemingly sacrosanct is not exempt: Georgia Tech's groundskeepers may not water their football field with city water. Homeowners cannot water their prized St. Augustine lawns. And Stone Mountain Park has stopped creating artificial snow for its 32,000-square-foot Coca-Cola Snow Mountain in time for Christmas. The Atlanta theme park's snow-making equipment uses 38 gallons of water a minute.

With lakes drying to record lows -- and scientists predicting a particularly warm, dry winter -- many officials across the region are wondering whether they will be able to supply residents with enough drinking water.

In Monteagle, Tenn., the town's water is just days from running out, and officials are exploring mobile filtration and treatment units to produce drinking water.

In Alexander City, Ala., water is so low in Lake Martin, the town's only water supply, that pumps are shutting down and engineers are floating a barge to install pumps deeper into the Tallapoosa River.

"This is unheard of," said Eugene Mahan, superintendent of water treatment for the system in Alexander City. "Now we're really in a hustle; we're really in a rush to pump water. We just don't know how low this lake is going to go."

In Atlanta, a lake that provides most of the water to more than 5 million metropolitan residents is 12 feet below full pool, and it's falling 5 feet a month. Tensions are running high.

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