County Commissioner's Office

County Talk
By
Lamar Paris - Commissioner

Q. Can we burn leaves?
A. The quick and simple answer is NO!  If you call Georgia Forestry requesting to burn, they will let you know if you can burn on a particular day.  As I am writing this, we are anticipating up to ½ inches of rain tonight, but without additional rainfall, by the time you read this in the paper, Georgia Forestry will probably not be issuing any burn permits again.

We are trying to caution everyone not to burn anything unless it is absolutely necessary.  Because of the dry conditions the average size fire in the county has increased from last year of just over an acre, to this year over three acres.  These are very serious times and we must all be extremely cautious. The recent fire in Young Harris ended up burning around 800 acres.

Q.  Is the county going to put a burn ban in effect?
A. We are evaluating this almost daily.  We are keeping in contact with the Forest Service and Georgia Forestry. Without additional rain this week, it is very possible that we will put a complete burn ban into effect within a week or ten days.  Historically, the vast majority of fires started in the county come from home leaf and debris fires that get away from the homeowner. Please be careful. The house you save may be your own.

Q. Is there anything else we can do with our leaves besides burn them?
A. Yes. We have contacted Georgia Mountain Grinding and Recycling. They charge around $2.00 to $3.00 for a pickup load of leaves and $12.50 per ton of wood debris which could include not only leaves, but sticks and brush.  You can call them at 706-835-2000.

Q.  Where is Georgia Mountain Grinding and Recycling located?
A. If you take Hwy. 575 West toward Blue Ridge, you turn left on Hayfield Road, which is the next intersection past Ware Chevrolet and Hemphill Vinyl Siding.  Stay on Hayfield Rd. for 6/10 mile and turn left on Grinding Rd.

Q. What is the county doing about conserving water?
A.  With the help of volunteers and staff, we are working on a very interesting presentation that we will present to the public sometime early in December.  This will not only deal with the details of the water shortage as it currently exists, but address contingency plans for the different water systems.   The presentation will also present many unique water saving tips and data regarding water conservation.  This meeting will be announced soon and will be held in the new Jury Assembly Room on the lower level of the courthouse, just past the Clerk of Court’s office.   It should be very informative.

Q. If the drought continues into next summer, will we face additional water use restrictions?
A.  There is no doubt that Governor Perdue and EPD will enforce additional water use restrictions unless we receive some serious rainfall.  Although our water situation in the mountains is not as severe as it is in Atlanta, it is serious enough. The general public should begin to understand how important water conservation is and that it is all of our responsibilities to restrict our water usage in our homes.   While we normally assume no one is watching our water usage, each water department has the ability to print out your water usage and look for those who are not taking any conservation measures.  So whether you are on a well or on a public water system, water conservation will have to become a part of our regular way of life for the foreseeable future.

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