[Wonder Warthog]

"While I generally agree with that first, that last is not so. A not-inconsiderable part of it is converted to water vapor and dumped into the atmosphere. That's pretty much the purpose of these things:"

If you think the evaporated water DOESN'T get back to the watershed you're an idiot. Read the article, such heat exchangers "use" 1/10th of what a once-through water-to-water unit does. And even THAT gets returned eventually.

No--this whole issue is due to the fact that Atlanta failed to build reservoir capacity to match population growth.

[FreedomPoster]

First: Keep a civil tongue in your head.

Second: You are mistaken again. It is entirely possible for that water vapor to migrate out of the area defined as the watershed, without it being precipitated out. If fact, very possible. With the prevailing winds here, it often ends up over the Atlantic.

I agree on the reservoir capacity issue.