55 counties, including a dozen in our area, have had Drought Response Levels lifted or reduced by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division due to increased rainfall over the past few months.
The state's most recent Level 2 Drought Response focused on Lake Lanier and its tributaries. In our area, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin and White counties have had their restrictions downgraded to a Level 1 Drought Response.
This cancels the watering schedule that limited landscape watering to two days per week on odd-even address numbers.
“Due to effective river basin management and above average rainfall, Lake Lanier water levels are up five feet since the start of the year,” said EPD Director Richard Dunn. “It is typically dry in the fall, but we expect the lake to continue to refill during the winter. As drought recovery continues, we urge citizens to be good stewards of our water resources.”
Cobb, Coweta, Dekalb, Douglas and Paulding were also downgraded to a Level 1.
Lanier is a federal reservoir and serves as a water supply to much of metro-Atlanta.
A Level 1 Drought Response has been lifted in Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Elbert, Jackson and Stephens counties in our area.
Athens-Clarke, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clayton, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Gordon, Greene, Haralson, Harris, Hart, Heard, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Madison, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Pike, Putnam, Rockdale, Spalding, Talbot, Taliaferro, Troup, Upson, Walton and Wilkes counties also had their Level 1 Drought Response downgraded.
Georgians still need to follow the non-drought outdoor water use schedule, which allows all types of outdoor water use, but landscape watering only before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. daily.
