Wednesday, March 5, 2003
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Wednesday, March 5, 2003 |
| Dredging by barge
will allow Lake Peachtree to remain full
By JOHN THOMPSON
For the first time since 1986, Peachtree City's Lake Peachtree will be dredged. But residents who worried the lake would be lowered to remove the silt and debris can rest easy after the Fayette County Commission voted last week to float a barge on the shallow lake to scoop out unwanted silt and debris. The commission awarded the bid for dredging the lake to Massana Construction in the amount of $632,236. Water system director Tony Parrott said the bid was the lowest of the proposals that utilizes a barge to assist in the dredging. "The dredging could start by the end of the month," Parrott said. The dredging project will take up to six months, and trucks used to haul away the silt will be staged at Drake Field, behind the city library, Parrott said. The truck traffic will not interfere with any library traffic, he added. The water system has a contract with Peachtree City to evaluate the lake every eight years to see if it needs dredging. In 1994, the lake was relatively free of sediment, so no dredging was necessary, Parrott said. The lake in the center of the city serves as a primary water intake for the county water system. The move to dredge the lake was hailed by Peachtree City officials, who learned Friday that the county intended to dredge using a barge, leaving the water level unaffected. The preceding week at the Feb. 20 meeting, the City Council discussed its concerns regarding the silt removal project. Council members had received calls from Peachtree City residents expressing concerns on the aesthetics of having the lake drained for up to 150 days during the coming summer, in addition to the impact on the local wildlife and the potential for water shortages if drought conditions return this summer. The council requested that Mayor Steve Brown forward a letter to the county about the process. Upon learning of the commissioners' decision, Councilman Steve Rapson said, "I'm delighted that the project will be carried out in the most environmentally sensitive manner to conserve our water resources and protect our wildlife." Brown echoed this sentiment, saying, "I would like to thank the commissioners, on behalf of our residents, for approving this process for dredging Lake Peachtree."
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