FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County officials say a $7,600 easement approved Jan. 8 will jump start one of its largest capital projects in history and allow the county to declare water independence for the first time in decades.
For nearly 40 years, a multistate federal lawsuit has forced the county to source nearly all of its water from a Lake Lanier intake facility owned by the City of Cumming. But, a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court ruling opened the door for the county to access water from the lake.
The easement allows access to a 180-foot-deep wet well shaft to be located on county-owned property adjacent to Tidwell Park on the lake’s eastern side…