Friday, December 20, 2002
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Friday, December 20, 2002 |
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Fayette awaiting comments on Lake Mac reservoir plan By JOHN
MUNFORD
The public comment period for the proposed Lake McIntosh reservoir project is slated to close at the end of the month. Agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department and the Environmental Protection Agency must submit their comments about the project before the public comment period is closed, said Fayette County Attorney Bill McNally. The Army Corps of Engineers will have the final say on whether or not to provide the necessary permits to allow construction to begin. The lake is expected to boost the county's water production by about 8 million gallons a day. County officials see the 650-acre lake reservoir as the final piece of the puzzle for Fayette's future water supply. Representatives from U.S. Fish and Wildlife have already toured the location for the reservior in addition to the various mitigation wetland sites the county has purchased to make up for the lost wetlands in the Line Creek area along the border of Peachtree City and Fayette County, where the lake would be built. The county will look at all the comments and prepare responses to some of the possible concerns the agencies might have on the affects of building the lake. "We'll address their concerns or articulate the county's position," McNally said, adding that it is likely the county may need to hire a consultant or perform more studies about the lake's potential impact. "We probably will be getting some consultants who are specialists in their field." "There is no more we can do here as far as water is concerned," McNally said. The Lake McIntosh site is also in close proximity to the county's water treatment plant on Crosstown Road in Peachtree City, McNally noted. The county already owns the necessary land for the project and this was the most "economically feasible" location for the lake, McNally added.
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