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Published Sunday, November 15, 2009 in Local

Future Palmetto water source in jeopardy

By Alex McRae

The Times-Herald

A future water source for the city of Palmetto is in jeopardy following a Friday ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Thrash that effectively halts land acquisition and construction of a major south Fulton County reservoir designed to supply water to Palmetto, Fairburn and Union City.

Thrash's ruling affects actions of the South Fulton Municipal Water and Sewer Authority, which was formed by legislation in the early 2000s. The authority was formed without objection by the city of Atlanta.

The authority subsequently issued bonds for the acquisition of land for a proposed reservoir on Bear Creek in south Fulton County. Atlanta did not object to that move, either, according to court documents. The bonds were issued and millions have been spent on land acquisition. More land for the reservoir is under contract.

Currently, Union City and Fairburn purchase water from the city of Atlanta. Palmetto purchases water from Coweta County and has its own water supply, according to Ellis Cadenhead, General Manager of the Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority.

But Palmetto had planned to provide water for future growth from the new Bear Creek reservoir, and the loss of that source could hamper Palmetto's growth.

"I'm sorry to hear this has happened," Cadenhead said. "The state needs more reservoirs and the Bear Creek facility would have been a perfect fit for south Fulton."

The motion filed by Atlanta said the city wanted the reservoir halted because Atlanta did not want to lose the current revenue from the cities involved. According to the filing, Atlanta hoped stopping the reservoir construction would also halt plans for expansion of water delivery infrastructure by Fairburn and Union City.

Atlanta revealed in court plans for a five-year, $50 million expansion of water mains through south Fulton. The filing said construction of the Bear Creek reservoir plus independent expansion of south Fulton municipalities would decrease revenues Atlanta needs to comply with an existing consent order in the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper sewage cleanup case. In the filing, Atlanta also said paying debt service on bond obligations is dependent upon water revenue from south Fulton.

Currently, Atlanta is trying to identify new potential water customers and sources even as officials from Georgia, Florida and Alabama work to reach an agreement on control of water in the Chattahoochee River, with special attention to Georgia's Lake Lanier. The outcome of the case will determine how much water from Lake Lanier Atlanta will be allowed to use for drinking water.

A federal judge has already said that if the three states do not reach agreement, it is possible water releases from Lake Lanier could be reduced to mid-1970s levels, according to an official familiar with the case.

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