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February 07, 2008
Jon Heard hopes 2008 will boast the wettest spring on record.
But that doesn't mean Cumming's Director of Utilities hasn't spent countless hours in meetings with other officials and engineers planning for a continued drought. In fact, Heard said Cumming is ready for the city's source of water, Lake Lanier, to fall much lower in the New Year.
"This drought has been a real eye opener," he said. "We've been able to survive the drought and we will continue to do whatever we can to bring water to the citizens."
Cumming has different plans for the immediate future, emergency plans and plans to help the city cope with growth until the year 2030, Heard said. The city has funds in the budget for all the future plans.
"With all the growth we've experienced," he said, "we've used all our redundancy. Now, we need to construct redundancy while keeping in mind the needs of the future."
Earlier in 2007, Cumming had to move water pumps closer to the water because the lake level had receded.
"We are coping with the fact we lost the first intake, which was one-third of the city's water supply," he said.
These pumps were created temporarily and would be able to be removed should the lake levels rise.
However, the continued drought levels threatened the new pumps. Cumming started to dredge the bottom of Lanier to insure the water intakes would remain under water for the total price of $1 million.
"They are creating a canal at the 1030 level that will extend 3,000 feet out into the lake," Heard said. "We might add another pipe. We are going to continue to watch the lake level and make a decision at the first of the year."
The 1020 channel plan would include a 72-inch pipe extending about a mile out into the lake.
"This would provide a continual source of water," he said.
Lanier is currently at 1050.99, according to Heard. If the lake drops down to 1041, the city would lose the water intake that makes up two-thirds of the city's water supply. Heard said at this level Cumming would have to implement a barge carrying electric powered water pumps out into the lake.
"We will have to get really serious about the barge after 1041," he said. "That means we would lose the second intake."
Cumming is also thinking long term, Heard said. By the end of 2008, the city plans to have a third redundant raw water intake completed.
"This will be the deepest intake of any city or county on Lanier," he said. "This will supply the city and county's water demand through 2030. This time next year, we should have a more advanced system in place."
- www.northfulton.com
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