The City of Cumming decided on Tuesday to allow those using City Water to be able to now hand water their lawns, and as of April 1st, fill their swimming pools. The city council voted 6-0 to adopt these new exemptions which were recommended by Gov. Sonny Perdue earlier this month.
Many have been confused by Perdue's proposal to relax watering restrictions. This was not a statewide relaxation of water restrictions. This was to let the local water permit holders know that they could adopt the exemptions he put forth, if they chose. So now, across the state, local counties & cities are meeting to decide whether or not their communities will be able to do any outdoor watering or fill their pools.
BUT, don't get too excited yet. The key to knowing whether these exemptions apply to you or not is to look at your water bill. The city of Cumming and Forsyth County offer separate water and sewer service. As of this week, ONLY the City of Cumming water customers are able to take advantage of these exemptions, and not Forsyth County Water customers.
The county is still considering whether to adopt the governor's proposal. County commissioners are expected to discuss the matter at a work session on Tuesday, February 26th at 5pm.
As for City of Cumming Water customers, under Perdue's plan, hand watering is allowed for 25 minutes per day up to three days a week. Newly installed landscape can be watered and, starting in April, outdoor swimming pools can be filled through September. The state defines hand watering as one person with one garden hose with a spray nozzle that shuts off when released. Watering is restricted to the hours between midnight and 10 a.m. on three days of the week. City water customers who have odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and those whose addresses end in even numbers, may water on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Watering is not permitted on Fridays.
For more information, city water customers can call (770) 781-2020.
