The matter of property adjacent to the new 650-acre Lake McIntosh that might rest in a floodplain and require flood insurance appears to have been settled. Coweta County commissioners Tuesday were told that Fayette County had compensated Coweta and Fayette property owners years ago when Fayette purchased the lake property and easements.

Coweta County had previously submitted a letter to the Fayette County Water Authority requesting that Fayette include Coweta properties in federally-required documents relating to the the upcoming construction of Lake McIntosh. That inclusion could help Coweta property owners near the lake avoid the requirement to purchase flood insurance, commissioners said.

The 650-acre lake will be situated along portions of the west side of Peachtree City and Fayette County and will straddle the Fayette-Coweta county line once Line Creek is dammed. The majority of the surface water will be in Coweta.

Coweta Director of Development & Engineering Wayne Kennedy in an Oct. 20 letter said, “Fayette County has requested a conditional Letter of Map Revision from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) until such time as construction of the lake is completed. At which time a formal Letter of Map Revision will be requested. This concurrence form must be signed by the jurisdiction whose flood maps will be affected by the proposed revision. The issue of this map revision and its possible impacts to Coweta property owners was previously raised. However, Fayette County has produced records showing that Coweta property owners were compensated for an easement to cover any potential flooding.”

The map revision will reflect the boundaries of the lake and will establish the flood zone, county administrator Theron Gay told commissioners Tuesday.

“They are treating Coweta residents the same as Fayette residents,” Gay said, reiterating Kennedy’s statement that property owners on both sides of the new lake had been compensated years ago when Fayette purchased the lake property and easements.

Lake McIntosh gained final approval from the Georgia Safe Dams agency earlier this month.

Fayette County Administrator Jack Krakeel said in early October the official approval letter will be sent by Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Once received, the county will notify the pre-qualified firms about the bidding process that will likely take 30-60 days, he said.

The firms pre-qualifying for the bid include Brad Cole Construction, Inc., Ellis Astin Grading Co., Inc., Gary’s Grading & Pipeline Co., North Georgia Concrete, Inc. and Reynolds, Inc.

Start to finish, the construction of the dam and filling to lake to full pool is anticipated to take about three and a half years, according to Fayette County officials.

login to post comments