30 years later, Lake McIntosh gets OK

Tue, 07/17/2007 - 4:53pm
By: John Thompson

It was a long journey for the final piece of Fayette County’s water puzzle.

After 30 years of jumping through government hurdles, Lake McIntosh received its final permit from the Army Corps of Engineers last week.

The 650-acre reservoir will be located on Line Creek south of Ga. Highway 54, forming a new reservoir straddling the boundary of Fayette and Coweta counties.

The site of the project was first identified as a possible lake site in the 1960s by developers who later abandoned the idea of building a lake when difficulties acquiring land were encountered.

“The true credit goes to those people who came before us,” said Fayette Commission Chairman Jack Smith during Thursday’s commission meeting.

For decades, county commissions have hoped that last week’s announcement was just around the corner. Earlier this summer, Fayette County learned that there was still another bureaucratic hang-up and got busy on the phone lines.

“Rep. Lynn Westmoreland really helped us get the permit,” Smith said.

The proposed reservoir will yield 10.4 millions gallons per day for drinking water that will be processed at the county-owned Crosstown Water Treatment Plant on TDK Boulevard in Peachtree City, said county officials in a press release.

After approval and final review of the plans, more visible work will begin. The construction of the lake and dam and bringing the facility to full operational status is estimated to take nearly four years.

“A special debt of gratitude is owed by the citizens of Fayette County to Bill McNally for spearheading this project over many, many years, to the past and present members of the Fayette County Water Committee and all those commissioners who, over those same years, kept the hope alive that someday we would reach this summit,” Smith said in the press release.

Thursday’s announcement marks the final step in a long and arduous process that first started in the 1970s.

In March 2002 county officials filed for a federal environmental permit to build the lake.

In 2003, a rendering of the lake’s proposed location showed the lake would border Peachtree City’s Planterra Ridge subdivision on three sides.

In 2004, the county’s consulting engineer guessed that the project cost could run around $10 million. The county already owns the land needed for the lake pool and has also acquired other wetlands to protect as mitigation for the ecological impact of the project.

In 2007, the county currently has a capacity of producing 20.3 million gallons a day on its own to support a population of up to 142,960, meaning that the addition of the 650-acre Lake McIntosh will support more than 200,000 people living in Fayette.

login to post comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Submitted by andreaskotsianis on Sun, 07/29/2007 - 8:04am.

I have a few questions for anyone that knows.
1)Lake McIntosh will belong to Fayette county. After all, they own all the land where the lake will go and they are footing the bill to build it. Also, Fayette County will not allow gas powered boats on the lake which shows that they have control of the lake itself. How can Coweta pump water out of it without consulting with Fayette County first? Please don't tell me that the land is part of Coweta therefore they can pump all the water they want...So do the Indians!
2)When will construction of the lake begin?
Some comments.
1)As much as some in Coweta hate to have the lake built so too the residents of PTC dislike the idea of having traffic from McIntosh Village pouring into TDK/74. It will be built. So is the 4 lane bridge over Line Creek.
2)On the Coweta side of the lake, the main winners will be the two families that own all the land above and below McIntosh Estates subdivision, some owners of McIntosh Estates subdivision who have lots adjacent to the future lake and Tom Reese who owns the rest of the land adjacent to the lake and is planning on building McIntosh Village.

Thank You.

Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Sun, 07/29/2007 - 9:05am.

The Indians can pump all of the water they want from anywhere on the new lake. They also may camp on its shores and bathe, etc., there.
Now, as to the power boats, this lake will allow up to 33' cruisers on it. This is due to the million dollar homes to be built on its shore. Dredging for 33' boat draft will be done by Walker. PCDC will be renovated to develop this development.
Small sharks and porpoises will also be stocked for deep lake fishing. Also, whatever those gig fish eat. Swimming will be allowed by citizens only.
The Coweta side of the lake, (I didn't know it had a Coweta side! Did You?)
will be a beach with 10 foot waves supplied by machines.
I know some will not understand your comments, but I do perfectly!

Submitted by 30YearResident on Thu, 07/19/2007 - 8:30am.

If I remember correctly, about 20 years ago (give or take), PDCD "donated" the lower land that encompasses Lake Mac. They did this, not out of charity or good will, but rather that they also own the higher land that will become very expensive lake front property once Fayette Taxpayers money builds the lake. You can bet this was a smart and lucrative move on Doug Mitchels part.

But more importantly, and no one has responded to this, Coweta County announced that if the lake falls within their county lines, they "Will" build a pumping station on their side and take water for their use. This was taken to court and ruled that Coweta had every right to do so and Fayette could not stop them.

So, the statement that "the addition of the 650-acre Lake McIntosh will support more than 200,000 people living in Fayette." is not true. Once Coweta builds their pumping station, you can divide that in half. So is it really worth it to build lake front lots for the development company plus build a water source for Coweta County using Fayette Taxpayers money???

I would like to see an official response to this and what has been resolved with Coweta since this happened 20 years ago.

So far, this issue has not been brought out in public and I believe it should be clarified. Hopefully, some type of agreement was reached, but right now, we just don't know. (Mushroom effect)

bad_ptc's picture
Submitted by bad_ptc on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 12:12am.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Approves Construction of Lake McIntosh Drinking Water Reservoir Project

“McIntosh will become the third drinking water reservoir owned by Fayette County”.

It would be nice if someone from the Fayette County Board of Commissioners would tell us if Coweta County can “use” the reservoir or not.

I would hate to think that the tax payers of Fayette County helped build Coweta County a free reservoir.


mudcat's picture
Submitted by mudcat on Fri, 07/20/2007 - 7:13pm.

Although it should be noted that he donated Equitable's land (not his land since back then he was only a property manager) by telling them it was not suitable for development and then held out the about-to-be-lakefront property. There is nothing illegal about any of that unless Equitable wants to come back on him which they may do. They have better lawyers now than they used to have and I do believe they are going to look into it. If someone sends them this info - they may.

Nothing is better in court than watching young turk lawyers taking on an aging hippie who thinks he writes the rules.

So, do you like my new picture? meow


Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 5:23am.

Your above "outing" of PCDC and its mongrels and Wolves, astonishes me!
It was my impression that PCDC had been, was, and is protected by the powers that be, even when they change, due to the incredible amount of money many of them made as outcroppings from all of the shenanigans.
Just as the bonuses (millions) demanded by one member of that crew several years ago was demanded after he left, this too will pass!
Fill my front pockets, I'll fill your back pockets!

Submitted by 30YearResident on Fri, 07/20/2007 - 6:47pm.

No one cares that millions of dollars of Fayette County taxpayer money may be spent to provide very expensive lake front property for select developers or that Coweta County will have rights to extract however much water they can pump from Lake Mac at our expense ....

What if they build a bigger pumping station than Fayette County?

Well, guess nobody cares... so go turn on American Idol, Entertainment Tonight or Ophra.

Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Thu, 07/19/2007 - 10:29am.

It is typical to donate swamp and inaccessible land to lakes and schools, in return for selling lake front lots at a 100,000 premium.
If you back a lake into an adjacent County, it is theirs also.
I expect all of this together (the lake, the TDK extension, the new city across Line creek, and the lake water usage, among other things, has been discussed by the right people for many years.
Making Cities is not necessarily a moral thing to do; making money is!

Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Wed, 07/18/2007 - 5:49am.

Suppose it would be worthwhile to check the ownership history of land that will front on the new lake McIntosh?
Might be interesting

Robert W. Morgan's picture
Submitted by Robert W. Morgan on Wed, 07/18/2007 - 7:50pm.

Doug Mitchell and PCDC


Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Wed, 07/18/2007 - 8:10pm.

Now, I remember the PCDC, but I thought it died (Peachtree City Development Corporation).

Submitted by McDonoughDawg on Wed, 07/18/2007 - 7:51am.

Planterra homes/golf course lots make up a good portion of the border. Where else would you propose the lake to go? It does require a river, we know that much. They didn't just start on this process.

Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Wed, 07/18/2007 - 8:14pm.

I wasn't sure a river was required for a lake, artesians can do it.
I find this statement of yours somewhat interesting. Isn't it like saying: I just happened to own this property where the Interstate is going?
Equitable must have sold to PCDC, huh? No other transactions?

ptctaxpayer's picture
Submitted by ptctaxpayer on Wed, 07/18/2007 - 6:57am.

Don’t bother Dollar…The list of owners of the lakefront property 30 years in the making will look an awful lot like the TDK property owners who bought the property out in the middle of nowhere. Aren’t those guys clairvoyant ?


Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Wed, 07/18/2007 - 9:44am.

Yes they were and so am I!
Isn't it amazing just how many Interstate highways just happened to be built through a former politician or developer's property, with an exit or two?
I will bet you that more of the owners of this property currently are not the original prospective owners, than are they the originals!
Buy land, borrow on it, build, sell it after inflation, buy more, etc. Nothing wrong with that if you made the entire gamble on your own with no notion of ever a lake or a development being built there.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.