Lake McIntosh, a new reservoir long planned for the Fayette County Water System, may go out to bid within two months.

The project, located along the Fayette-Coweta county line, needs a positive review from Georgia’s Safe Dams agency before work can proceed. Pre-construction work including tree clearing began in late 2007.

The lake will be formed by erecting a dam on Line Creek.

Once complete and full, Lake McIntosh will provide enough water to support more than 56,000 residents, according to county data. That’s enough to put Fayette’s build-out population at more than 200,000 people.

The project has been under discussion since at least the mid-1970s and the county already has purchased all the necessary land in conjunction with the project.

Construction is anticipated to take about three and a half years from breaking ground until the lake is at its full level, officials have said.

The county will finance the remaining $15 million needed to complete Lake McIntosh, and in February the water system raised its rates about $3 a month for an average home’s bill to cover the extra cost, officials said.