The dredging of Lake Peachtree by Fayette County is expected to begin in January. But there may be additional dredging needed in other areas of the lake. Those areas identified for possible dredging and the estimated cost of $400,000 to $1.35 million will be discussed at the Nov. 6 meeting of the Peachtree City Council.
Per agreement, Fayette County will pay for dredging in a large area beginning immediately south of Ga. Highway 54. Beyond that, said City Manager Jim Pennington, there have been discussions over the past two years regarding the possibility of the city appending itself to the county’s contract and dredging other areas of the lake which have experienced silting and a reduction of depth.
“We are now at a time when the council needs to revisit this issue,” Pennington said.
In that regard, Integrated Science and Engineering (ISE) was asked to provide an in-depth review of what additional dredging might entail and the cost of that work based on a silt removal cost of $30-50 per cubic yard.
Potential project sites include three areas primarily along the west shoreline and the island on the lake’s east side.
While a decision is not expected Nov. 6, a cost estimate which would dredge at various depths ranging from 3-4 feet show an estimated cost ranging from $402,000 to $1.35 million. In terms of cubic yards, the potential project would remove 13,400-27,000 cubic yards.
ISE representative Richard Greuel in a Sept. 25 letter said surveyors had been instructed to conduct a strip survey between the edge of the lake at normal pool and a point at which water would be approximately 4.5 feet deep at normal pool. Surveyors were also asked to assess the island near Battery Way Park which was apparently formed when the lake was dredged prior to 1993, Greuel said.
The estimated cost if the island were removed would be $2.925-4.875 million.
Beyond those potential expenses, ISE noted that actual costs could vary significantly and would have to take into account issues such as haul routes, damage to city infrastructure from truck loads, disposal sites and environmental permitting, Greuel said.
County Administrator Steve Rapson in an Oct. 24 letter said the county’s dredging project remains on schedule, with the letting of the actual dredging bid scheduled towards the end of December and with the first dirt to be removed in January.
In a related matter, City Clerk Betsy Tyler said the City Council and County Commission have submitted an appeal of the state’s reclassification of the Lake Peachtree dam to Category 1 from its previous status as Category 2. The design for the spillway will begin after the appeal is completed, Tyler said.
