Fayetteville residents can breathe a little easier about their parched plants, at least for the time being. Council members March 6 agreed to water use exemptions effective April 1 for swimming pools and landscape watering suggested by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The Fayette County Commission will consider approving the same exemptions at its March 13 meeting.

City Director of Water Rick Eastin recommended the measure after meeting with the Fayette County Water Committee and reviewing current water reserves.

“People in the community took it to heart and complied with the restrictions,” said Mayor Ken Steele of city residents on the 10 percent reduction in water usage imposed in the fall in 61 Georgia counties affected by the Level 4 drought.

Fayette County Water System Director Tony Parrott, also at the meeting, said he will be recommending the same exemptions to commissioners March 13.

Adopted by the council were exemptions for swimming pools, outdoor hand watering and watering requirements for new landscape.

All existing swimming pools can be filled and maintained for normal operations. Outdoor hand watering is permitted for 25 minutes a day with one garden hose and during designated hours and on designated days.

The specifics of the exemption include using a pressure-sensitive spray nozzle with watering from midnight until 10 a.m.

Odd numbered addresses can water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, while even numbered addresses can water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The exemption for watering newly installed landscape comes with several requirements, the first of which is registering with the Outdoor Water Use Registration Program at www.urbanagcouncil.com.

Others requirements include watering between midnight and 10 a.m. and watering for 30 days during a period of 10 weeks (three days per week for 10 consecutive weeks on the same odd/even schedule for other outside watering exemptions).

A final exemption concerns landscaping as it is being installed, which may be watered at any time of day on any day.

The measure will go into effect April 1 unless other circumstances arise via Georgia Environmental Protection Division or another source that would alter or modify the exemptions.

Fayetteville City Engineer Don Easterbrook said code enforcement will review its procedures to determine the most effective methods of addressing compliance to the exemptions, noting that the city has one full-time and two part-time code enforcement officers. He said the city would also rely on the public’s adherence to the exemptions and would respond to complaints by the public.

Peachtree City spokesperson Betsy Tyler said the city has four full-time code enforcement officers who know what to look for. Code enforcement officers will be responsive to complaints of those taking advantage of the exemptions, she said.

And in Tyrone, which has only one part-time code enforcement officer, Town Manager Chris Venice said that, if adopted by the council, Tyrone would look to guidance from Fayette County as the water provider for the town.

Fayette County Commission will consider the governor’s recommendations at the March 13 meeting. Regarding enforcement,Fayette County interim Administrator Jack Krakeel said the county has maintained an open, ongoing dialogue with the municipalities it serves and will continue to do so and will continue to monitor compliance under the exemptions if the commission chooses to adopt them.

Compliance is monitored by nine county marshals that handle code enforcement.

“We have the expectation and the hope that, if approved by the commission, citizens will comply with the exemptions as they have been doing during this severe drought,” Krakeel said. “The community is the best monitor and we’ll be responsive to their input regarding potential violations.”

The Fayette County Water System is the sole supplier of drinking water to Peachtree City, Tyrone and Brooks, as well as the unincorporated areas of the county. Fayetteville has some water produced by wells, but still buys the bulk of city water from the county.

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