Contributing Writer

In the early 1970s the decision was made to build a reservoir on Line Creek as an

additional water source. The development company

in Peachtree City at that time, Bessemer,

purchased land in Fayette County that lay along Line

Creek, and Fayette County purchased the land opposite

it in Coweta County in the late 1980s, early 1990s.

While initial digging and clearing was already under way, the idea was postponed. Several

years later, the Fayette County commissioners

purchased the land from the development company and

several times began the project again, each time

postponing it.

The project is "on" again and the rules of the

U.S. Corps of Engineers now dictate that a number of factors be

considered, such as wetland mitigation and any environmental impact the

project may have; an archeological survey must be made; and a

botanical survey made to consider any impact it may make on wild life.

"The necessary studies and surveys are either in process now or

will be shortly," said Tony Parrott, director of the Fayette County

Water System. "We will be entering our '404 Permit' application for

the reservoir project within the next couple of months to the U.S. Corps

of Engineers.

"They may take as long as two years to approve it. In the

meantime, we will be completing these studies and surveys," he said.

An archeological survey has been completed and the report

indicates 12 grids were laid out, with 11 of the archeological sites

recorded as being ineligible for nomination to the National Register of

Historic Places Recommendations and Recommended Treatments. The

12th site has been recorded as being worthy of further testing, due to

more artifacts being found there than anywhere else.

"The wetland mitigation is being studied now and there are

approximately 400 acres of land that will be impacted. Consequently, we

have to wait to complete that project until the Corps of Engineers notifies

us about the amount of acres we must set aside elsewhere," added Parrott.

The lake will cover 650 acres and will be 30-35 feet at its

deepest point. It is expected that the entire project will take five years. By

that time, it is estimated that the county's water needs will have reached

the point that the completion of the Lake McIntosh Reservoir will

have come at just the right moment.

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