High and Dry

Talking about the drought and conservation

"I'm showering on Sundays and Thursdays, so y'all are lucky today." - Ron Papaleoni, general manager of the Lake Allatoona Preservation Society, at Thursday's town hall meeting

"I'm using a dishpan in my sink to catch the water when I wash fruits and vegetables. Then I toss it on a plant." - Nelly Luthi, Rome

"The docks are so far out of the water you can't even get a boat in to monitor the water. On a personal level, though, it's a good excuse not to wash my truck." - Mark Lamade, Coosa River Basin Initiative volunteer.

"I used to take five-minute showers. Now I just soap up, rinse off and get out." - Jane Wentworth, Rome

"Instead of the leaves turning to fall colors, they're turning brown. And the river banks are brown muck instead of green." - William Kelly, Rome

"My plants are dying in my yard. I'm just praying, because I can't use the water for them, but I'm thankful for the water we have." - Beverly Waddell, Rome

"We've used a little graywater but a lot of my trees and shrubs are about gone." - Charles Gilbreath, Silver Creek

"The lake is dry. Restaurant sales are off 60 percent...(and) we're told it probably won't get better in the spring, so it's looking pretty bleak for 2008." - Glenda Barger, owner, Lighthouse Restaurant and Motel on Weiss Lake

"They've ceased the stocking of trout in some streams because there's not enough water. The flow is too low and the temperatures are too high." - Paul DiPrima, vice chairman of the Georgia Trout Unlimited Council