Coweta County's

newest water source will be up and running by 2003.

County Water

System director Harry Hughes told the Coweta County Commission Tuesday

that the B.T. Brown Reservoir is on track to open in the northern part

of the county in two years.

Officials are

still working with the state Environmental Protection Division to get

all the necessary permits, but Hughes does not anticipate any delays.

Later this

year, the design portion of the $11 million project will be completed

and grading will start, he added.

In order to

get a withdrawal permit, one of the criteria is working together with

other jurisdictions on water sources.

Since the county

is already purchasing water from the city of Newnan, and has deals with

Griffin and Atlanta, the permit should be granted later this year, Hughes

said.

"All data

also indicates the water is treatable," Hughes said.

The county

has come under fire in recent months by residents who feel the county

has not had an adequate water resource plan in place to deal with the

area's explosive growth.

The issue exploded

last summer when tensions surfaced between the county and Newnan Utilities.

Commissioner

Jim McGuffey took exception to statements by Newnan Utilities director

Dennis McEntire about the county's reluctance to work together on joint

water projects.

McGuffey said

the county explored the option of drawing water from West Point Lake in

1997 as a way to increase the county's water capacity to 20 million gallons

a day.

When Newnan

Utilities didn't pursue the efforts, the county started seeking additional

water resources from Spalding and Fayette counties, he added.

"The only

progress on obtaining additional water has been through the efforts of

the Coweta County Commission," McGuffey said.

With water

becoming a more precious resource, governments are scrambling to find

additional sources. Officials say the new reservoir, coupled with water

from Atlanta, will serve the county's growth.