Columbus: stones and sand bars along the Chattahoochee, downstream from West Point. (Dave Bender)
The drought is affecting West Point's ability to pump water from the Chattahoochee River. City Manager Ed Moon says that two of the city's three raw water intakes are already drawing air, and that the third is threatened:
Moon: “The top of our lowest intake is at 1.8 feet; we need to maintain that 2.2 feet at 600 cfs (cubic feet per-second) to continue to have a viable raw water supply.”West Point is spending close to 20 million dollars to improve infrastructure, including water supply for the massive Kia auto-plant being built nearby.
Interviewer: “And if that does not happen, what steps will the city take to protect its water?”
Moon: “We have a contingency plan to use some auxiliary pumping, with a pump located further out in the river.”
Click here for more GPB coverage of the ongoing water crisis.
Click here for more GPB coverage about the planned Kia factory.
