New water plan adds 6 reservoirs

Metro Atlanta’s draft water plan for supplying the growing region through 2035 is ready for public comment.

The draft includes proposals for handling water supply and sewage, and protecting the region’s six major river basins. This is the first update of a plan adopted in 2003 by the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.

Among the proposals are six additional reservoirs to serve population growth forecast to be more than 50 percent, to 7.5 million people in the 15-county district. Also, more water would be drawn from lakes Lanier and Allatoona, and the Chattahoochee River.

Omitted from the final draft were controversial proposals to tap into the Flint River and West Point Lake on the Chattahoochee near LaGrange, which is outside the district.

Putting together the new plan cost $1.2 million, mostly paid for by the district’s taxpayers.

The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, an environmental advocacy group, has criticized the metro district for not going far enough to conserve water. The plan calls for water savings of up to 13 percent through 2035, down from the 2003 goal of 20 percent.

The deadline for public comments is Jan. 31.

Next week, the district is hosting three public meetings to answer questions about the proposals and take public comment. The meetings will be informal open houses, rather than traditional public hearings that give individuals an opportunity to speak to the entire group. The schedule is:

> Monday, 4 to 7 p.m., Clayton County Water Authority Headquarters, 1600 Battle Creek Road, Morrow.

> Tuesday, 4 to 7 p.m., Cobb County Water System, 660 S. Cobb Drive, Marietta.

> Wednesday, 9 a.m. to noon, Duke Room at the Loudermilk Center for Regional Community, 40 Courtland St., downtown Atlanta.

To read the draft, go to www.northgeorgiawater.org/html/313.htm.

 Staff 
METRO ATLANTA WATER DISTRICT 
The 15-county Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District includes Lake Allatoona and Lanier and crosses six river basins (in bold). 

RIVER BASINS OF METRO ATLANTA 
COOSA; CHATTAHOOCHEE; FLINT; OCMULGEE; OCONEE; TALLAPOOSA
Each is located on a map showing the counties in the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. 
Sources: Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District