Catoosa County, Ga., commissioners adopted a resolution Tuesday night that will limit outdoor watering in the heat of the day.
The state-mandated restrictions prohibit most forms of outdoor watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The restrictions, which the state developed as part of its Water Stewardship Plan intended to help ease concerns about the water supply for metro Atlanta, apply only to water systems permitted by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
In Catoosa County that would mean the rules apply to water from Yates Spring, but probably not to water bought from Tennessee American Water, according to Catoosa Utility District Chairman Jerry Lee.
Lee said most people do their outdoor watering in the evenings and mornings anyway.
“That’s really pretty smart,” said Lee. “It should not affect us anywhere.”
Fort Oglethorpe adopted the restrictions at a recent meeting.
On Wednesday, commissioners said the restrictions probably are aimed more at Atlanta-area counties.
“That was something we had to pass,” Commissioner Dewayne Hill said. “We don’t have that problem, but that’s something throughout the entire state.”
Hill and fellow commissioners said Catoosa County has plenty of water both from Yates Spring and through contracts with Tennessee American to get water from the Tennessee River.
“Thank God for the Tennessee River,” said Commissioner Ken Marks. “We have to adopt this resolution to keep the state happy.”
Commissioner Jim Cutler called the resolution “blanket coverage” for the whole state. While county residents need to be careful with water use, Cutler said, border counties such as Catoosa, Walker and Whitfield that have access to Tennessee River water aren’t in danger of running dry like metro area counties.
“When the state does something, it’s for the whole state,” Cutler said. “We don’t need the restrictions.”