It

will be more than a year before 2.5 million

gallons of water will fill a planned new Fayette

County tank at the intersection of Ga. Highway 92

and Lee's Mill Road.

The

bidding process will take about three months,

after which construction will take about a year,

said county water director Tony Parrott. The

county has budgeted $2 million for the project.

County

commissioners last week decided to go forward

with plans for the new water tower next to a

half-million-gallon tank that's already there,

and will remove the old one once the new one is

built and they're satisfied that it will work

properly.

Plans

for the tank ignited a fire storm of controversy

in 1998. David Williams, whose house is next to

the current water tank, argued that the land

involved in plans for a planned

two-million-gallon tank next to it belonged to

him, not the county. About 200 neighbors joined

Williams in protesting the idea of two tanks at

one location, saying it would give the area the

appearance of an industrial park.

The

courts settled the land ownership question in

favor of the county, but commissioners put the

tank on a back burner and studied alternative

locations in the face of still-fierce

neighborhood opposition.

Following

a study of alternative locations, engineering

consultants advised the county that the Lee's

Mill location is simply the right location to

fill the county's needs for water pressure to

serve the growing northern part of the county.

Commissioners

last week decided to build a larger tank so the

old one can be removed.

"I

think the board has shown a little bit of concern

for the people in that area," said

Commissioner Greg Dunn. "This is the best

positon to put a water tank in that area,

period," he added.

Water

officials say the tank is needed to provide

enough water pressure and to store treated water

to serve the area, and to serve needs in the city

of Fayetteville in case the city's supply falls

short of demand.

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