On an average

day in Fayette County, more than nine million gallons of water is pumped

to residences and businesses to satisfy the busy county's water needs.

But just across

the line in Fulton County, Williams Company is proposing to build a power

plant that could use two-thirds of that amount of water on a daily basis.

Early estimates,

according to Brian Rubenstein at Duffey Communications, are that Williams

will use nearly 6.5 million gallons of water a day to keep the power plant

running.

Rubenstein

said the company has commissioned modeling studies to get a more accurate

number for water use.

With many counties

still reeling from drought restrictions, many residents are wondering

where the company is going to find that much water to operate the plant.

Rubenstein

said the company is planning to use treated wastewater from Fulton County's

Camp Creek treatment facility for the majority of its water needs.

Rubenstein

said the county will need probably 200,000 gallons a day from other water

sources, but the rest will be wastewater.

The treated

wastewater will be pumped into the plant to help cool the massive turbine

engines. Much of the water that is lost in evaporation will be funneled

back into the system, so the company will only have to discharge a small

amount back into Fulton County's water system.

"Any water

that is discharged, though, will still have to meet [state Environmental

Protection Division] requirements to be placed back into streams,"

he said.

Rubenstein

said the company will release more information on the water use after

all its modeling and studies are completed.