The contractor clearing the land for Lake McIntosh is preparing to begin burning debris, and Peachtree City officials are worried at least part of the city will be choked out by the smoke.
Peachtree City Fire Chief Ed Eiswerth said the event will be “a big burn” and stands to at least startle some residents to the point where they might flood the county’s 911 center with calls.
“It’s going to be bad,” Eiswerth said of the smoke, which will blow westward from the contractor’s burn site in Coweta County toward Peachtree City. “We’ve been back there, and it’s a lot of stuff they’re going to burn. A lot.”
Eiswerth said the contractor has been in contact with Georgia Forestry officials. That agency typically responds to wildfires and fires that break out in undeveloped areas.
The city has notified residents in the weekly city email newsletter, which included a phone number for Fayette County officials that residents can call to file complaints if necessary: 770-305-5200.
“I expect we will get a lot of calls, and I expect that our 911 center will get inundated,” Eiswerth said.
The lake will be the county’s final drinking water reservoir and will be located on Line Creek, which is the natural dividing line between Fayette and Coweta counties.
A significant amount of the lake is actually inside the Coweta County line, and the contractor is burning the debris there because it is allowed under the contract, city officials said.
“Their issue is they did not allow for anything other than normal burn techniques, which are permitted by state law, in their contract,” explained City Manager Bernie McMullen.
