Georgia watering restrictions lifted - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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“Our water supplies are flush,” Carol Couch, director of the , told memberw of the state’s Drought Management Advisory “Our rivers and streams have The state imposed Level 4 drought restrictions in Septembeer 2007 as one of the worst droughts in Georgia history deepened, sending water levels at the state’sa federally managed reservoirs The restrictions banned most types of outdooe water use in 55 north Georgia While some communities were later grantecd exemptions to the most severe restrictions, water systems that relied on severelyh depleted Lake Lanier were not given that flexibility.
Undere Wednesday’s order, which takes effect immediately, north Georgia will return to a non-drought outdoofr watering schedule. Residential and commercial property owners will be allowecd to water their lawnes three daysa week. Odd-numbere d addresses may water on Tuesday, Thursday and Even-numbered addresses may water on Wednesdayand Saturday. State Climatologisr David Stooksbury reported to the advisoryt committee that Georgia is experiencingthe second-wettest sprinvg in 115 years. “Obviously, that made a majodr impact on moisture conditions in the he said.
Still, Stooksbury said, rainfall just durinf the last 30 days has been slightl below normal across the northern third ofthe state, a sign that summe is setting in. Couch praised property owners for conserving water durinhg the drought to a greater extent than would have been possible throughregulation alone. But she warnee that Georgians should continue cultivatingtheir water-efficient even though abundant rains have returned. “Droughtf can be a fickle thing,” she said.