Georgia County Extends Water Restrictions

Georgia’s Lake Lanier continues to record low water levels, prompting Gwinnett County officials to continue prohibitions on many outdoor watering activities.

In Gwinnett, only new or refurbished outdoor projects and plantings can be watered if they have been installed by a professional landscaper — but only on a limited basis.

The county is taking a “wait and see approach” to the low water level in Lake Lanier, according to Jim Scarbrough, a technical advisor for the Gwinnett Department of Water Resources.

If North Georgia receives a lot of rain and the water levels rise dramatically, or if the state relaxes its 10 percent water reduction rule, then things may change again, said Ron Peters, deputy department director.

The county will revisit its rules on March 31 and again on June 1, when various deadlines expire, Peters said. For now, the following rules are in effect:

• County residents may fill their pools from April 1 until Sept. 30.
• Certified or licensed landscapers, golf course contractors and sports turf landscapers may water a newly installed landscape for 10 of 30 days after installation.
• Wherever outdoor watering is occurring, a waterproof sign must be posted that is visible from the street. The sign should state the date of installation, the commercial firm’s name, the property owner’s phone number and the surface area being watered.
• A professional landscaper or the homeowner may water an existing lawn, turf or landscape after it has been replanted, conditioned, reseeded or aerated, but only for 10 of the 30 days following the initial installation.
• All watering must be done between midnight and 10 a.m. Those with odd-numbered addresses can be watered on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and those with even numbered addresses can be watered on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Hand watering and sprinklers are both permitted.

The county government decided not to follow the state policy that allows the hand-watering of lawns and plants this spring. But county officials did follow the state policy on swimming pools.

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution