Speakers Tell Commission They Oppose Apalachee River Intake

Citizens filled the Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chamber Tuesday night to voice opposition to the plans to pump water from the Apalachee River as part of planned future expansion of the Hard Labor Creek Regional Reservoir in Walton County.

Those who spoke acknowledged that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had granted a permit for withdrawal of water from the Apalachee River in 2004 but argued that the decision should be re-evaluated in light of the need for modifications to and extension of the permit.

The river already is under stress, residents who live along the river said, and withdrawals aren’t appropriate anyway because neither Walton County nor Oconee County, partners in the project, needs water from an expanded reservoir.

The citizens made their comments during the open citizen section at the beginning of the Board of Commissioners meeting, and members of the Commission did not take any action.

In other business, the Commission awarded a contract for $2.6 million to E.R. Snell Contractor of Snellville for road improvements for the Dove Creek Elementary School now under construction on Hog Mountain Road in the far west of the county.

The Board also gave first reading to a revision of the county’s development code to allow for more flexibility in landscaping of development sites.

For more on the story and a video of the meeting, go to Oconee County Observations.

Pictured: Lanclose Before Board of Commissioners.