With the latest round of tests

on Fayette County water showing no contaminants, officials have begun

to draw water out of the Flint River again.

"The water continues to

be safe," said Tony Parrott, director of the Fayette County Water

System. "Even though we had some problems, at no time did the water

exceed the health advisories or the Department of Natural Resources' rules

and regulations."

Last week, the county's South

Water Treatment Plant was shut down over concerns of contaminated water.

Residents in south Fayette County, including Peachtree City, had reported

a sweet smell to their water.

In one of three samples originally

sent for testing, a "trace" of ethylene glycol was found, said

Bert Langley, director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's

emergency response program. Since then, five more samples from Fayette

came back with no detectable levels of any contaminants.

State environmental officials

are investigating a reported spill of a de-icing chemical at Hartsfield

International Airport that may be responsible for contaminating the water

via the Flint River, which is a main water source for Fayette County.

"We want to know how it

happened and why it happened so it won't happen again," Langley said.

The chemical is also found

in antifreeze, which means it can also enter streams whenever rainwater

drains off the roadway, Langley said.

Hartsfield officials reported

that 250 gallons of the de-icing chemical spilled into the Flint River

from its stormwater drainage system Jan. 3, Langley said. The Fayette

County Water System draws water from the Flint River to providing drinking

water for the county.

Parrott said officials closed

the plant although they were not required to by state regulations. Clayton

County, which also pumps water out of the Flint River, continued to do

so but Fayette officials decided to draw more water out of the Crosstown

Road water treatment plant.

That increased the load on

the Crosstown plant by between 4 and 5 million gallons per day, depending

on the demand, Parrott said.

"Even though we have been

criticized, everything we have done is in excess of what the requirements

are," Parrott said. "We wish it wouldn't have happened..."

Demand has been down this week

due to rain the area has received, he added.

Local water officials received

about 50 complaints of the smelly water last week. The decision was made

Tuesday to shut down the south water treatment plant that draws water

from the Flint River.

According to the Agency for

Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ethylene glycol when ingested in

large amounts can result in nausea, convulsions, slurred speech, disorientation,

and heart and kidney problems. Ingesting very large amounts can result

in death, according to the agency.

EPD planned to re-test the

sample that showed the "trace" levels of ethylene glycol to

make sure the results were valid, according to Gary Andrews of the agency's

emergency response program.

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