Leaders in four northeast Georgia counties have asked the state to lift drought restrictions because of recent rainfall.
Officials in Clarke, Barrow, Jackson and Oconee counties want the state Environmental Protection Division to remove them from the list of 61 counties in north Georgia that are under the state's strictest drought restrictions.
Randall said while rain levels are up and Lake Lanier's level is coming up gradually, there could be another dry spring and summer.
"Lake Lanier is still 12 feet below what it was this time last year," Randall said. "We get spring rains every year and we planned on it being wetter, but I believe it's going to get pretty dry this summer."
Randall thinks it would be premature to lift any restrictions and he has no plans to request a water restriction waiver for Gainesville.
Melvin Davis, chairman of the Oconee County Commission and the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority, said his area has enough water to ease the watering rules.
The authority's criteria for moving the region to the less severe restrictions are river flows, soil moisture and the amount of water in Bear Creek.
Last fall the lake was on the verge of running dry, but it has been replenished by winter rains.
Lake Lanier at Holly Park
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/4/208601