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Much work on Lake Mac in 2002 By JOHN
MUNFORD The past year has been a busy one with regard to Lake McIntosh. In March, county officials filed for a federal environmental permit to build a 650-acre reservoir on Line Creek to meet Fayette's future water needs. If approved, Lake McIntosh is expected to boost water production by eight million gallons a day. County officials see the project as the only viable option to provide for the county's projected water needs in the future. With an estimated population of over 233,000 people in 2030, the county figures it will need a daily water supply of 31.3 million gallons, officials said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the final say on whether the county gets its permit for the reservoir. The public comment period was expected to end late December as county officials gear up to respond to comments from federal and state agencies on the potential effect the reservoir would have if built. There are no federally protected species over six miles downstream from the proposed dam site, officials have said. The dam will be located west of Dividend Drive and north of Kelly Drive in Peachtree City. The county already owns the property to build the lake, and it has already purchased 566 acres of wetlands to serve as mitigation for the wetlands around Line Creek that would be lost when the lake is built. The two other proposed locations would involve disturbing larger area of wetlands. A rendering of the lake's proposed location shows the lake would border Peachtree City's Planterra Ridge subdivision on three sides. Construction of the lake is expected to take between two and three years from the time work begins until the lake is filled. Currently, the county has a contract to purchase up to four million gallons a day from the city of Atlanta, but officials say that contract can't be counted on. Likewise, water officials don't think they can count on other water sources in the future such as groundwater wells and Whitewater Creek because of drought conditions.
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