Officials from Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Forsyth, Lumpkin and Pickens met Friday in Dahlonega to sign the first cost-sharing watershed agreement in the Southeast.
The $7.5 million sharing agreement will allow counties to monitor the quality and quantity of water that enters the man-made lake, said Susan Raines, a Kennesaw State University professor.
``It's going to be more economical for them to do this together than if they all had to do it individually,'' Raines said.
In addition, officials from four federal agencies and three sewer and water authorities also met.
Each county water authority previously had to separately monitor water quality.
``We are all concerned about water resources because that is where our drinking water comes from,'' said David Kubala, environmental manager for the Cherokee County Water and Sewage Authority. ``We want to keep it clean for current and future use.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/6/131114