Working the Waters: Political Ecology of Scale and Georgia's "100-year" Drought, 2007-2009

This paper analyzes how stakeholders' interpretations of ambiguous and multiple operationalizations of ecological processes can lead to changes in how these processes are managed. Through a case study of water management during the 2007-2009 drought in Athens, Georgia, the paper examines how members of the urban agricultural sector recognized the multi-scalar management of water during drought and used these interactions to their political advantage. Using political ecologies of scale, this paper examines how interactions between state, regional, and local drought management, perceptions of drought, and interpretations of power to manage water during drought led to the passage of Georgia House Bill 1281, which changed how water was managed during drought. This paper argues that it is necessary to consider perceptions of drought and drought management, as well as the drought itself, because they influence how stakeholders engage in political processes and change the way water is utilized during drought.