Levels of restrictions in state-declared official drought:
Level One drought: Requires public water systems to educate customers about conditions and encourage conservation.
Level Two drought: Limits outdoor watering to two days a week on a schedule based on address numbers. Even-numbered addresses may water Wednesdays and Saturdays (4 p.m. to 10 a.m.) and odd-numbered addresses may water Thursdays and Sundays (4 p.m. to 10 a.m.). No water can be used for outdoor fountains, car washes or power washing of homes.
Level Three drought: Prohibits all outdoor landscape irrigation. Food gardens may be watered between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. (Soaker hoses and drip irrigation may be used anytime.) Hand watering and golf course irrigation are limited.
Atlanta’s beautiful weather is not all good.
We may not like it, but we need rain.
State officials issued the year's first drought alert Friday. The state Environmental Protection Division declared a "drought response level 1" for 53 North Georgia counties, a designation that requires public water systems to tell customers about drought conditions and what can be done to conserve water.
Some of those counties include Fulton, Carroll, Clayton, Cobb, Cherokee, DeKalb and Gwinnett.
The alert was issued in the middle of a rainfall shortage in metro Atlanta.
Atlanta has a deficit of 6.71 inches of rain since March 1, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Peachtree City’s deficit for the same period is nearly 13 inches, and Gainesville’s deficit is 10.85 inches.
“We certainly need that rainfall, but it’s not in the picture today, and a good solid chance not in the near future,” meteorologist Katie Walls said Friday.
Conditions have worsened since metro Atlanta first began experiencing a drought in late April.
“And unfortunately, it’s forecast to continue as we head into the fall, even into the winter,” Walls said.
Lake Lanier, which is Atlanta’s source of drinking water, dropped from 1,066.14 feet last week to 1065.52 feet as of Thursday. The full pool level for summer is 1,071 feet.
Rainfall last seven days: 1.69
Rainfall this month: 2.66
Rainfall deficit for the year: 3.20
Rainfall surplus since Sept. 1: 1.51
Values in inches as of end of day Thursday
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