On September 28, 2007, the director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) declared a level four drought response across the northern third of Georgia, which prohibits most types of outdoor residential water use.

The level four drought response was declared for all counties in north Georgia from Muscogee County on the Alabama line northeastward to Spalding County, and eastward to Lincoln County on the South Carolina line. The level four drought response includes all of metropolitan Atlanta, Rome, Athens and Columbus, but does not include the cities of Macon and Augusta. The level four drought response also includes the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority service area.

While you may not be able to utilize all of the waterSmart outdoor tips at this moment in time – these tips can be helpful to you as you begin to plan for a landscape that is more drought tolerant. Continue to check back for more waterSmart updates.