Opponents Of Apalachee River Intake Get Support From Morgan Co.

Morgan and Oconee county residents opposed to the proposed intake facility on the Apalachee River in Morgan County for an expanded Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir got their first major victory on Tuesday evening.

Three of the five members of the Morgan County Board of Commissioners said they support citizens who are opposing construction of the intake facility in Morgan County.

Many of those same opponents of the intake had appeared before the Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir Management Board earlier in the day, where they had expressed opposition to any reservoir intake facility, regardless of location, that takes water from the Aplachee River.

The Walton County Water and Sewer Authority, which met with the Management Board on Tuesday, holds a permit for withdrawal of water from the Aplachee River, and the Authority is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to extend the permit and change the intake location.

At the Tuesday meeting with the Morgan County Commission, the residents focused their attention on the 202-acre property in Morgan County the Authority has under contract, and even the two commissioners who would not commit voiced some support for the citizen request.

For more on the story, with videos of the two meetings, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Morgan County Commissioner Ron Milton.