Wednesday, February 19, 2003

County about to err by draining Lake Peachtree

Brace yourselves, Peachtree City residents. The Fayette County Water Committee is about to take us all for a ride. Having learned nothing from their past mistakes, they have generated bid documents for the dredging of Lake Peachtree that allow the lake to be drained and dried as part of the process.

Draining Lake Peachtree is foolish and unnecessary. Harold Reheis, director of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, cautioned Fayette water officials in a letter dated Jan. 14, 2003, "... It is important for all of us to recognize the environmental and economic benefits that derive from wise and conservative use of our shared waters. The drought of the past five years has painfully demonstrated how vulnerable many areas of our state are to limitations on water supply in the face of increasing demands on those supplies. These waters must be better managed and more conservatively used during both drought and normal times. This lifting of restrictions should not be viewed as permission for wasteful and environmentally unfriendly water use practices."

Obviously, our Fayette County Water Committee chose to ignore this letter. The last project that involved draining and drying Lake Peachtree resulted in an ecological disaster.

The fish and turtles all died. Ducks, geese and herons disappeared; an unanticipated drought meant a slow return of water; the extended dry period resulted in germination of weeds that grew to six feet in height; and it took five years to complete the reintroduction of native fish.

If this isn't an example of "wasteful and environmentally unfriendly water use practices," then what is?

Kim Learnard

Peachtree City