The public

comment period for the proposed Lake McIntosh reservoir project is slated

to close at the end of the month.

Agencies such

as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department and the Environmental Protection

Agency must submit their comments about the project before the public

comment period is closed, said Fayette County Attorney Bill McNally. The

Army Corps of Engineers will have the final say on whether or not to provide

the necessary permits to allow construction to begin.

The lake is

expected to boost the county's water production by about 8 million gallons

a day. County officials see the 650-acre lake reservoir as the final piece

of the puzzle for Fayette's future water supply.

Representatives

from U.S. Fish and Wildlife have already toured the location for the reservior

in addition to the various mitigation wetland sites the county has purchased

to make up for the lost wetlands in the Line Creek area along the border

of Peachtree City and Fayette County, where the lake would be built.

The county

will look at all the comments and prepare responses to some of the possible

concerns the agencies might have on the affects of building the lake.

"We'll

address their concerns or articulate the county's position," McNally

said, adding that it is likely the county may need to hire a consultant

or perform more studies about the lake's potential impact. "We probably

will be getting some consultants who are specialists in their field."

"There

is no more we can do here as far as water is concerned," McNally

said.

The Lake McIntosh

site is also in close proximity to the county's water treatment plant

on Crosstown Road in Peachtree City, McNally noted.

The county

already owns the necessary land for the project and this was the most

"economically feasible" location for the lake, McNally added.