Future may bring throwaway plates at school cafeterias, restaurants; county marshals now on 24 hour shifts for water ban patrols; county to increase fines and penalties for violators

Under an edict by Gov. Sonny Perdue, Fayette residents will have to become more judicious with their water usage, officials said Thursday night.

Perdue is ordering a 10 percent cut in water usage for the months of November through March based on the historical monthly usage figures from last year, Water System Director Tony Parrott told the Fayette County Commission Thursday night.

That means the county will have to cut about 1.3 million gallons a day somehow, Parrott said. Not all details of the governor's requirement have been made available yet but will be forthcoming, Parrott said.

The county met this week with representatives from the cities, the board of education and the county’s largest water users such as Hoshizaki in Peachtree City, which has a goal of cutting its water usage by 40 percent in the next year, officials said.

One possible significant change could come at local schools and other restaurants in the county: switching to disposable dishes that won’t have to be washed, said Acting County Manager Jack Krakeel.

Also forthcoming will be stricter water violation rules and penalties recommended by county staff. Currently, the county allows for a fine ranging between $10 and $100 for violators, Krakeel said; Peachtree City, meanwhile, has a fine of up to $1,000.

The county water system currently also lacks the authority to turn off service and lock the water meters of offenders, Krakeel said. Such extreme measures are already being employed in other metro Atlanta areas as a deterrent and enforcement measure according to various news reports.

Already the county marshal’s office has changed to 24-hour a day coverage so they can patrol for abusers of the state’s outdoor watering ban, Krakeel said.

The county, cities and the board of education have put together a subcommittee that will be working on sharing water conservation ideas with citizens. Those suggestions will be posted on the county’s web site at fayettecountyga.gov and perhaps also on the local access cable channel as well as here at TheCitizen.com.

Krakeel said he has been pleased with the initial response of support for the business community from not only the top water users but also during a recent presentation he made to the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce.

Fayette County has 200 days worth of water stored on hand, putting it in far better shape than other areas of Georgia that are watching their supply dwindle rapidly.

Fayette also has been at the forefront of the recent switch to the outdoor watering ban, saving 28 percent from the previous water usage levels. County Commission Chairman Jack Smith said if he recalled correctly the numbers shared at a recent regional meeting, the next closest water system to Fayette recorded an 18 percent savings.

The county already has enacted several water-saving measures such as the complete shutoff of all irrigation systems on county property, Krakeel said. All auto washing is on hold unless the emergency vehicles become so dirty as to obstruct their reflective lettering, which could create a safety hazard, he added.

It’s also possible the county may get more water savings by installing low-use water fixtures, Krakeel said.

Krakeel said the county department heads have been told all county employees are expected to set a good example in their water usage for the rest of the community.

The county has also shut off water meters used for irrigation only such as subdivision entrances, and there may be more opportunities to reap savings from similar situations, Krakeel said.

After the meeting, Krakeel said of the citizens contacted by the marshal’s department for outdoor watering, many of them were on well-served water systems, which exempts them from the watering restrictions.