61 Counties Under a Level 4 Drought in Georgia

[newlook]

61 counties are now in a level 4 drought status in the State of Georgia. This also includes the metro Atlanta area.

Description of permissiable power washing under a level 4 can be found at www.reliefforwashers.com. Click on the R.F.W. State Chapter Tab.

RFW will update drought information and the counties affected or as conditions change.

[Doug Dahlke]

I just wanted to say that I think the RFW is doing a great job for the companies here in the southeast. I have contacted them about a few concerns and got a quick response with a plan of action. We have been getting some rain here but the drought situation is far from over. From what I have seen the RFW/UaMCC looks like it is moving in a positive direction.

I think Celeste's group has been doing a great job too. keep up the good work everyone and thank you.

[newlook]

Doug,

Appreciate the discussion over the weekend and thanks for the plug. RFW will continue to keep you and the others that you spoke about informed.

Good things are happening all the way around.

We will be in touch!

[newlook]

HB1281 passed the Senate and now goes before the Governor to be inacted into law....

in part the bill reads "No political subdivision of this state or local government authority shall impose more stringent restrictions on outdoor water use during periods of drought than those applicable restrictions, if any, imposed by the state unless approved by the director of the Environmental Protection Division of the department."

Good news for Georgia

Al - Sky Valley will be notified
Doug - As we predicted

[squirtgun]

Good news for north Ga contractors.
Now the guys around Atl need to work on having the wrongly written reclaim laws over turned.

[newlook]

Very good news for north GA Scott. I received an email last week from a city manager up in one of the northern counties that we contacted and their position at the time was "well we will just wait until HB1281 get's passed". I guess I will be sending them an email in the morning.

We are involved at the local level. We are contacting many local cities and townships expressing our position as it relates to washing. In that dialogue we have had the good fortune of referring to and exploiting what HB1281 will do regarding that nasty word called "restrictions" in GA.

Big thanks to everyone in GA that has chimed in both publicly and privately.

Now, whats the action plan?

Once the Gov. signs the bill then it becomes law. RFW will have a copy of the law on our website www.reliefforwashers.com so that any contractor in the state of GA can download it. Carry it with you when you go out to do estimates. If by chance a city or township was not aware of the law, you can educate them by showing it to them. This goes for residential also.

There will be guidelines under the state as it relates to permissible watering practices. RFW will provide that information when it becomes available.

[Doug Dahlke]

This is great news for contractors in North Georgia. As I was reading about the bill one reason given for it's introduction was to force counties to deal responsibly with thier respective water issues. That means they need to plan ahead, build reservours, maybe slow growth, etc to make sure they have a good water supply, not just shut businesses down when the water supply gets tight.

I am looking forward to what is going to happen when reclaim issues are addressed. Having a body that represents contractors going after this I think will be beneficial.

Thank you to all those who have been pushing these issues.

[alvisishere]

Originally Posted by newlook

HB1281 passed the Senate and now goes before the Governor to be inacted into law....

in part the bill reads "No political subdivision of this state or local government authority shall impose more stringent restrictions on outdoor water use during periods of drought than those applicable restrictions, if any, imposed by the state unless approved by the director of the Environmental Protection Division of the department."

Good news for Georgia

Al - Sky Valley will be notified
Doug - As we predicted

Thanks again Carlos for your support, time and effort you and other have invested...It is greatly appreciated!!!
http://reliefforwashers.com/

[Doug Dahlke]

Looking forward to the Georgia RT on April 26th. One question I would like to ask some of the speakers is why some counties are still banning commercial power washing? From what I understand all the area lakes with the exception of Lanier are at normal pool for this time of year. Rainfall has been normal so far this year too. I know it would not be wise to lift all restrictions but why couldn't we at least have a six week lift on the ban to allow people and businesses to clean up after the pollen season, get pool decks and common areas ready for summer, etc.

I trucked extra water to a job yesterday in a county that has still banned commercial power washing. I charged extra for that and the customer was willing to pay. It is really getting to be a pain to keep up with where you can and cannot wash. I have been quoting work for several PM's with a large local mgmnt company and am constantly checking county websites to see what the current restrictions are.

I wish the Georgia legislature would get HB 1281 passed and put an end to all this stuff.