Get out the garden hose and pull back that pool cover. Starting April 1, Alpharettans might be able to hand water their lawns and fill up their pools starting April 1, if the Fulton County Board of Commissioners relaxes its watering rules this week.
North Georgia still is in drought conditions, so residents will only get one time a week for less than 30 minutes to hand water their yards.
Recommendations sent to Fulton Commissioners were to allow:
• Hand watering 25 minutes, one day per week.
• Filling outdoor swimming pools.
• A one time watering newly installed landscaping three-nights-a-week for 30 days. Register at www.urbanagcouncil.com
City Council members rushed to remind residents conservation is still needed. Fulton County staff recommended tighter restrictions than the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) requires. That was necessary to make sure the county met an EPD requirement to reduce water use by 10 percent compared to 2007 usage.
Mayor Arthur Letchas brought the proposal before council.
"We still aren't going to take our eyes off the target as far as removing our water restrictions. But we would like to fall in line with the EPD and Fulton County water restrictions," Letchas said.
Councilman David Belle Isle, who grew up in Gainesville, said as a child he saw some low lake levels. But nothing compares to how low the lake is today.
"The docks are on the ground," he said. "You think because we've had some rain it's fine – but it's not fine," Belle Isle said.
Labels: Fulton, Fulton County, North Fulton, water, Water Ban, Water Restrictions
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 9:14 AM