By Marcus E. Howard
mhoward@mdjonline.com
MARIETTA - The 15-county Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District will host a public meeting in Marietta on Tuesday to answer questions about proposed updates to the region's water-supply plan.
The meeting is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cobb County Water System building at 660 South Cobb Drive near Atlanta Road in Marietta.
This will be the first update to the Water Supply and Water Conservation Management plan that originated in 2003. Funding for the $1.2 million plan is expected to come primarily from district water customers, according to the District.
The proposal calls for building six reservoirs and six treatment plants by 2035 in order to meet the area's projected population growth of nearly 4 million more residents, and it calls for drawing more water from Lakes Allatoona and Lanier, and the Chattahoochee River.
Other suggestions include consolidating small treatment facilities to improve performance and reduce costs; mandating high-efficiency toilets and urinals in government buildings; and requiring new car washes to recycle water.
Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens, the only Cobb member of the district's governing board, declined to comment on the district's proposals and said the process will work better through the meetings.
"This is a draft from the consultants. I expect several areas to significantly change before we vote on the update," Olens said, adding that Cobb County "is way ahead of the district in many significant areas."
At least one environmental group is already criticizing the proposal, saying the district is not doing enough to conserve water. They are upset that the district changed its 2003 plan for reducing water demand from 20 percent by 2030, to 13 percent by 2035.
Joe Cook, executive director and riverkeeper of the nonprofit Coosa River Basin Initiative in Rome, said he plans to participate in a demonstration with others at the Atlanta meeting. He is particularly upset about consumption targets. The 2003 plan set a goal of reducing water demand by 20 percent by 2030. The new proposal suggests a cutback of 13 percent by 2035.
"Backsliding from a 20- to 13-percent conservation goal on the heels of a three-year drought is unacceptable," Cook said.
"The District will not be able to take as much water from Lake Lanier as it wants to," he said. He also criticized the District's plan to take water from the Flint River and West Point Lake on the Chattahoochee River.
Cook said he expects the District to adopt the plan at its Feb. 5 meeting. It would then go to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for review.
The District's primary purpose is to develop regional and watershed plans for water supply and conservation, wastewater treatment and stormwater management.
Besides Cobb, the district includes Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale, as well as 93 municipalities within those counties.
The water-planning organization was created in 2001 by the state Legislature. The governing body is comprised of county commission chairs, mayors, and 10 appointed citizen members.
Tuesday's meeting is one of three the District has scheduled to share draft plans and give citizens a chance to talk with technical staff, and make comments. The other meetings will be in Morrow on Monday and Atlanta on Wednesday.
To view the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District water plan, go to its Web site at www.northgeorgiawater.org.
Comment on this Story
Posted Comments
Just keep the water restriction ban in effect permanently, then everyone can raise rates by saying usage was down. Problem solved.