Coweta County's newest water source will be up and running by 2006.

County officials broke ground earlier this month on the B.T. Brown Reservoir in northwestern Coweta County.

The $11 million project will give the county the necessary water resources to cope with the growth that has washed over the county in the last decade.

When the project was first announced in 2003, the county had come under fire by residents who felt the county did not have an adequate water resource plan in place.

The issue exploded during the summer of 2003 when tensions surfaced between the county and Newnan Utilities.

County 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.