Wednesday, November 21, 2001
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001 |
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Plenty of water, but restrictions remain By DAVE
HAMRICK If the recent lack of rain has you wondering about Fayette's water supply, stop worrying. "I read somewhere that we hadn't had but an inch of rain in 72 days ... that's about like being in the desert," said Dr. George Patton, a member of Fayette's Water Committee, during the group's meeting last week. But with recent activation of the South Fayette Water Plant on Antioch Road, Fayette's supply is well ahead of demand, said system director Tony Parrott. Parrott reported that Lake Horton's water level is down about four to five feet, and Lake Kedron is "about the same," but he pointed out that the lake levels actually are a little better than at this time last year. Average water use in October was just under 10 million gallons a day, according to the system's water production report. The county's Crosstown Water Plant in Peachtree City can produce 13.5 mgd, and the new South Fayette plant adds six million gallons to that capacity. Five wells also are available, providing a capacity of 825,000 gallons a day, and if all that capacity gets used up, the county has a contract to buy up to four million gallons a day from the city of Atlanta. Planning for future growth has helped the county make sure the water supply stays stable, said Parrott, adding that the county could go a year without rain before the situation would become a crisis. But watering restrictions remain in place in spite of all that. The state of Georgia has imposed restrictions on the entire metro Atlanta area, including Fayette. Watering is allowed from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. on an odd-even basis water on odd days if your address is an odd number, and vice versa.
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