The Coweta County Board of Commissioners hopes to soon have an answer for residents of Newnan Pines who are suffering with a water system that seldom maintains a proper chlorine level.

The water system is privately owned and county attorney Mitch Powell said the county is waiting to hear from the courts on condemning the system and letting the county take control and operate it.

Powell explained that the original owner of the system signed a trust agreement with the county to allow the county to take it over if the system was not properly maintained. In July, the county filed a petition in Coweta County Superior Court to take control of the system. Powell said the case is in a six-month discovery phase and he hopes to hear from the court in the next 30 to 45 days.

The current owners of the system filed a counterclaim against the county and said if the county took control, the county is obligated to pay a fair market price for the system.

After hearing Powell's assessment, Dr. Fred Gilbert, who has lived in the subdivision for 25 years, told the commission about his problems with the water system. Gilbert has had to replace water lines and a hot water heater and said the chlorine levels are constantly low.

Perhaps the most alarming information presented was offered by Dr. Helen Grenza, who has lived in the subdivision for two years. Ever since she moved into her house, Grenza has been plagued by bad water. Determined to do something, Grenza started measuring the chlorine levels in the water. Of the 459 days she monitored the water, only 191 days had a sufficient chlorine level.