Two months adrift with no water contract from its only major supplier, Forsyth County is now searching the political landscape for another source.
County commissioners are asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for permits to tap into Lake Lanier or the Chattahoochee River. The county is sending copies of the requests to Gov. Nathan Deal and to local legislators.
The action comes almost a month after the county hit a snag in adopting a new water contract with the city of Cumming, which is one of only four jurisdictions with a permit to draw from Lake Lanier. The two sides hammered out a deal May 24 — two days before the old contract expired. But there was nothing in the agreement specifying charges for water the county uses over its allocation of 16 million gallons a day.
The city wants to bump the price from 10 cents to $1.25 per 1,000 gallons for that water. Forsyth County has taken no action on the contract.
In addition to its requests for access to water sources, Forsyth County is also asking the EPD to increase its average daily allocation from 16 million to 65 million gallons. The county currently provides some 40,000 households with water, nearly all of it bought from Cumming.
Commission Chairman Jim Boff said he doesn't think the county has a lot of time to spend negotiating with the city.
"The truth is, we need the water," he said.
Cumming officials say the city provides the cheapest water in the region, and they want some compensation for overages. They also point out that, under the proposed contract, the city keeps the price for raw water the same as under the old contract and actually reduces the charge for treated water.
County Commissioner Todd Levent, who proposed asking for state help, said the EPD has already acknowledged Forsyth County's need. The state cited the county as a prime hardship case in its court fight with Alabama and Florida in the Tri-States Water War.
"Cumming has shown unwillingness to be fair in our negotiations," Levent said. "We're now looking toward the EPD to give us the additional permits that they've been promising us."
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