The Peachtree City Council will consider Thursday night a formal agreement to allow treated sewage water to be used to irrigate fields at the city’s Baseball and Soccer Complex on Ga. HIghway 74 south.

The water, classified as “urban re-use,” is unfit for drinking but Georgia law allows it to be reused for irrigation purposes as long as it meets treatment criteria.

Opponents of the process worry that kids will come in contact with the ground treated by the water, potentially exposing them to viruses, particularly so if the child has an open wound.

Local biologist Dennis Chase has suggested that the city develop a treatment process that allows the water to be held back for four to five days so it could be exposed to sunlight to kill most all the viruses in the water.

The treated water would be pumped to the city’s holding pond by the Peachtree City Water and Sewer Authority. The city would be responsible for maintaining the rest of the irrigation system and also for placing signs on the property warning the public that non-potable water is used for irrigating the fields.

Should the contract be approved, it will cost the city roughly $3,000 a year to irrigate the fields. Previously the city had pumped water straight out of Line Creek to irrigate the fields, but the watering restrictions have left the city unable to use such water.

Urban re-use water is not subject to use restrictions due to the drought.

Under the contract, the city’s Water and Sewer Authority will be responsible for ensuring the quality of the urban re-use water and must notify the city immediately if quality problems require the irrigation usage to be halted temporarily.

The city’s main interest in having irrigation for the fields is in large part for weed control to create a safer playing environment for less chance of tripping injuries, city officials said.