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 back on January 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.