Press Release

Drought Status Lifted for Customers Served by City of Atlanta Department of Watershed   

ATLANTA – The Department of Watershed Management (DWM) today announced that the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources declared an end to the drought declaration for 12 metro Atlanta Counties, including all customers served by DWM.

Those counties moving from a Level 1 Drought Response to a non-drought outdoor water use schedule are Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Paulding and White counties.

While drought response has ended, all Georgians must still follow the non-drought outdoor water use schedule required in the Water Stewardship Act of 2010.  This law allows all types of outdoor water use, but landscape watering only before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. daily.  This is done to limit evaporation during the warmest part of the day.  Many types of outdoor water use are allowed under the law.  More information on the non-drought schedule is at https://epd.georgia.gov/non-drought-outdoor-water-use-schedule.

Additional water conservation measures are encouraged in order to help manage water supply and to ensure adequate water is available for fire protection. Atlanta residents can continue to pick up free water-saving kits at any Fire Station within the city limits.

As a reminder, here are some ways metro Atlanta residents can save water:

·        Being mindful to not use irrigation systems when it is raining

·        Checking and repairing leaks inside and outside the home

·        Shortening showers and turning off water when shaving and brushing teeth

·        Filling dishwashers and washing machines with full loads

·        Using a rain gauge to determine how much it has rained over the past week before watering outdoor plants

·        Watering in several short sessions instead of one long session

·        Only watering lawns when needed

To learn about more conservation tips, go to www.atlantawatershed.org.

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