Despite this

week's heavy rains, Coweta County is following the recently imposed watering

restrictions imposed by Newnan Utilities.

The Coweta

County Commission called an emergency meeting last Friday to discuss the

restrictions. The county purchases all its water from Newnan Utilities

and announced that no outdoor watering would be allowed in the county

starting this week.

But in affirming

the ban, the Commission also took exception to recent comments from Newnan

Utilities that the county had not done any planning to secure future water

resources. (See related story.)

The county

also heard a report from staff that a recently completed deal to purchase

water from the City of Atlanta may have water flowing into the county

New engineering

studies show that two lines will connect to the county and bring nearly

two and a half million gallons of water to the county.

The new lines

will run underground, but engineers have said that lines could be run

above ground if the drought worsened and Coweta County desperately needed

water.

The county

could possibly also draw water from the 500-acre lake at the B.T. Brown

Reservoir in the northern part of the county, which is currently under

constructions.

County Water

Director Harry Hughes said the county had at least six more months of

water available and dismissed reports of water running out sooner.

"The sky's

not falling yet," he said.

Commission

Chairman Vernon "Mutt" Hunter said the situation would ultimately

be solved by a higher power.

"If the

Good Lord wants us to have rain, we'll have it," he said.