Monday

night's regular monthly meeting of the Peachtree City

Water and Sewerage Authority began with an outdoor object

lesson.

WASA

general manager Larry Turner showed the authority members

a large root system taken out of a local manhole recently

to demonstrate the effects of dry weather on sewer

systems throughout the area.

An average

of one call per day comes in reporting blockages caused

dry, roots search even harder for water, and they will

find any and every crack in a sewer line, he added.

A couple of

lengths of pipe were also displayed to the authority

members, showing how easily and quickly a root system can

cause a complete blockage of a sewer line. It is not

uncommon for a blockage to take only about six months,

Turner said, although the larger example found in the

manhole is an exception.

Other sewer

systems are reporting that this has been the worst year

ever for roots, Turner said.

Back inside

City Hall for the remainder of the meeting, Turner gave

out copies of a brochure addressing "fat-free

sewers." He said that grease has become a serious

problem stopping up systems at times, especially in

residential areas.

Ironically,

restaurants do not have as much of a problem because they

almost always use grease traps, Turner said.

A copy of

the brochure will be distributed to every homeowner who

is a WASA customer with the January sewer bills.

In other

business:

� Turner reported that water

consumption was mostly back to normal in October after

record usage in September.

� The Watershed Advisory Committee is

scheduled to meet Tuesday, Jan. 11, at City Hall.

� Michael Harman, who will become the

newest member of the authority in January, was in

attendance at Monday's meeting and welcomed aboard. He is

replacing Ray Helton, whose term is expiring.

� A study of three pump stations

concerning replacement authorization was approved Monday,

as was authorization for a septic tank study.

� A capacity analysis authorization

for the north area pump station was approved.

� Turner reported that a Georgia EPD

proposed consent order has been delayed.