Within the

next 20 years, Coweta's residents will be a thirsty lot.

Water

director Harry Hughes delivered a report to the county

commissioners Tuesday night that shows the county will

need 30 million gallons of water a day.

This past

Sunday, residents used 11 million gallons, which was a

record. But that's only a drop in the bucket compared to

their future needs.

Hughes and

the engineering firm of Stevenson Palmer outlined a plan

to meet the county's future needs. Included in the plan

is the county's new B.T. Brown reservoir, which will

supply four million gallons a day.

Other water

sources include:

� One million gallons a day obtained

from Fayette County. The county hopes to finalize an

agreement soon that will enable it to tap on to a Fayette

County line on Ga. Highway 74.

� Pumping nearly five to 10 million

gallons of water from Griffin and Spalding County when

their new pump station is up and running in 2004.

� Building a one-million-gallon

storage tank across from the familiar golf ball water

tank at Canongate on Interstate 85.

� Building another storage tank at Ga.

Highway 154 and Interstate 85. This would be the county's

biggest tank and contain 1.5 million gallons of water.

The county

also plans to try groundwater recharging on 300 acres it

owns near the proposed reservoir and also extend

contracts with Newnan Utilities to keep the water

pumping.

Commission

Chairman Vernon "Mutt" Hunter was generally

complimentary of the report, but said the commissioners

have known this day was coming and have told the water

system to prepare for a massive expansion of the system.

The

commission unanimously approved county attorney Mitch

Powell examining engineering contracts for the proposals

and making a recommendation back to the commission.