Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin isn't ready to turn outdoor spigots back on, but it's OK to start filling swimming pools.

Franklin said Thursday she's sympathetic to the economic hit on landscapers, but "we still believe it would be irresponsible to relax the outdoor water restrictions."

The region's historic drought is on the cusp of its third year, with no sign of abatement. Lake Lanier, the federal reservoir northeast of Atlanta that ensures a steady flow of water past the city's withdrawal pipe on the Chattahoochee River, is more than 14 feet below its average level for February. That's lower than the lake has ever been this time of year.

Sharla Borghorst, a master gardener who lives in Atlanta's Morningside neighborhood, agreed with Franklin's decision to keep the outdoor taps off. She's watering her plants with a bucket from her shower.

"We are still in a position where we are very concerned about the drought and need to be saving water," Borghorst said. "The water issue is so critical for those of us in the state and surrounding states that we need to be taking very seriously how we can be reducing our water usage and really make some sacrifices."

Atlanta, the state's largest water utility, was the first to announce it would depart from Gov. Sonny Perdue on relaxing watering restrictions. Gwinnett County will allow pool-filling, but a decision had not been made on whether to allow some lawn watering. DeKalb County is still reviewing its options. Cobb County commissioners may decide at a Tuesday meeting.

Cherokee County and the city of Woodstock plan to follow the new state rules.

Last week, the governor announced he was easing the state's near-total ban on outdoor water use that's been in place for metro Atlanta and the northern third of Georgia since late September by allowing pool-filling and limited landscape watering. The state is now allowing people to use garden hoses for 25 minutes between midnight and 10 a.m., three days a week.

Starting March 15, the new state rules also allow homeowners to use sprinklers on newly planted trees, shrubs and flowers on three days a week for ten weeks after taking an on-line water conservation class at www.urbanagcouncil.com.

But it's up to public water providers like Atlanta to decide whether to follow along. The local jurisdictions must be at least as restrictive as the state, but can always decide to enforce tougher rules.

Atlanta has taken a tougher stand then the state off and on to protect its water supplies. Last summer, for example, the city only allowed lawn sprinkling one day a week while the state still allowed a three-day-a-week schedule. From 2006 to 2007, Atlanta residents shaved off an average of 6.2 million gallons of water a day in June, July and August.

Rob Hunter, Atlanta's watershed commissioner, said Atlanta's tough stance last year is part of the reason for keeping the lid on outdoor water use this summer. Local utilities still have to meet the state mandate to reduce water use by 10 percent based. Starting April 1, the baseline will be last year's water use from April through September.

Atlanta is also removing some exemptions now in place for professionally installed landscapes. Aerating and over-seeding lawns will no longer be exempt from the water ban to avoid abuse, Hunter said. Violators could be fined up to $1,000.

Franklin also plans to ask the city council to increase water and sewer rates by 15 percent for water usage above about 750 gallons a month. That's to make up for the $33 million shortfall in revenues caused by the drop in water use, she said. That's about 10 percent of the watershed budget, Hunter said.

The landscape industry lobbied hard to relax the state rules before switching the focus to the individual jurisdictions. The industry, which includes growers and retail garden centers, says it has lost at least one-quarter of its annual $8 billion business, along with 40 percent of the workforce, or 35,000 jobs.

Borghorst, the master gardener, is a prime example of why. "I am not going to be planting anything this growing season. I really didn't last year either."

Instead, she plans to maintain what she has by weeding, spreading mulch, clipping back her plants and using shower water.

Mary Kay Woodworth, president of the Georgia Urban Agricultural Council, said landscape water accounts for about 10 percent of the total water use in the summer, and can be reduced even further with education.

But Hunter said its nearly impossible to know how much water is used to water lawns, or fill swimming pools.

Franklin said city officials will monitor water use and may decide to re-enact the ban on pool-filling if necessary.

OTHER LOCAL UTILITIES

The state will allow hand watering 25 minutes between midnight and 10 a.m., three days a week on an odd/even schedule, and it will allow filling swimming pools. Odd-numbered addresses may water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; even-numbered addresses may water Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. But local water utilities can choose to adopt the relaxed restrictions or continue the total ban. Here's how some are approaching the changes, so far:

• Still considering changes: Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb counties, Alpharetta, Milton, John's Creek.
• Will continue to ban ourdoor watering: Loganville, Norcross
• Adopting the state's rules: Cherokee County, Woodstock, Auburn

*Gwinnett will allow pool filling and Norcross is considering doing so.