News | Peachtree City

PTC postpones well, lake water restrictions

Thu, 11/01/2007 - 7:50pm
By: The Citizen

The Peachtree City Council now has the power to enact emergency water restrictions if necessary, a power once limited solely to the mayor and the mayor’s designee.

But Council postponed consideration of a water restriction that would have forbidden citizens serviced by wells, streams or lakes from watering outdoors. Currently such use is allowed by the state of Georgia.

The city also put off a clarification that would have reinforced all outdoor watering within 30 days of landscape installation to be conducted between the hours of midnight and 10 a.m.

City Attorney Ted Meeker recommended the changes be postponed so the city could conduct more legal research and determine the city’s authority for passing the restrictions.

The ordinance adopted by council allows for offenders, who face a $1,000 maximum fine, to be prosecuted in city court instead of being brought to state court in Fayetteville, officials said.

The ordinance was adopted on a 4-1 vote with Stuart Kourajian voting against. He said he preferred having council adopt restrictions to match the county's in a special meeting instead of making them automatically synchronize upon decision of county officials.

City residents are served by water from the Fayette County Water System as the city does not provide water.

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Good.
Submitted by Dalmation195 on Fri, 11/02/2007 - 9:46am.

I am glad to see the City taking prudent steps to determine if they even can do that.

My thought is that they do not need to impose their will by knee jerk reaction to this situation. I have heard no one, not from the Governor's office, Corp of Engineers or any geologist or hydrologist state that well users should stop using their water.

Should well users restrict voluntarily? Sure!!! I have. I have only spent $20,000 on landscaping this year around my house, so therefore, I am only watering once a day for only about 3 hours.

I have three wells on my land, so therefore I feel that I have restricted my water usage.

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Not far enough or fair enough
yellowjax1212's picture
Submitted by yellowjax1212 on Fri, 11/02/2007 - 8:19am.

I'm glad that the Council now has the power to impose restrictions but why not act now?
I have no problem with people with their own wells being able to water. At least until it is deemed that the underground water table is being adversely affected. But I do have a problem with pulling out of Lake Peachtree to water.
While it doesn't look like we are in eminent danger of running out of water in the Fayette County system (at least in the near future) it still seems unfair for those few who live on the lake to pull down the reservoir to water yards, wash cars, etc. while the rest of us are under a total ban.
The Council should go ahead and move on that one. Fairness across the board and we will all get through this.


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