Gainesville area developers may get a water restriction break

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville City Council learned Thursday that Public Utilities could start providing water to new development projects.

Utilities Director Kelly Randall recommended making water available to developers now that the state has lifted its 10 percent water restriction mandate, even if the economic slump has cut development projects.

"We have not as a utility or as a city written any water availability letters," Randall said. "We've been saying we don't have water available right now, but since our permit has been restored we feel like we need to move ahead and be able re-issue those letters."

Randall added: "I think quite frankly we're going to find there are not all that many of them because of the economy, but this is an economic issue and I think today we need to go ahead and begin re-issuing those if you concur with that."

Randall said Gainesville can't reduce its Level 4 drought restrictions because it draws water from Lake Lanier, but added homeowners may fill swimming pools and water shrubs for 20 minutes a day with a garden hose that has a shut of nozzle.

Just about all other restrictions remain in place under Level 4, except that pressure wash contractors may now also wash driveways. Individual homeowners are still barred from pressure washing their houses.

State environmental officials Tuesday called off a mandate order to reduce water restrictions by 10 percent for most water systems in 61 counties. Those are areas that don't draw water directly out of Lake Lanier.

Randall said because Lake Lanier is so low, the city cannot go back any further than to Level 4 and added that all the communities that encompass metro North Georgia are not included in that group of communities that might be able to reduce their restrictions.

Randall told council members Lake Lanier's water storage level is at 57 percent, dramatically less than it was this time a year ago when it was 91 percent.